Cauvery Aarati at KRS added Dasara draw; plans to seat 10k

Bengaluru: The government wants to create infrastructure that can accommodate 10,000 people to view the Ganga-like Cauvery Aarati, a plan Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar hopes to swing in time for this year's Dasara. 

The Cauvery Aarati is Shivakumar's pet project. In March, he got a Cauvery Aarti done at the Sankey Tank in the city. The one he is planning for Dasara will be grander and would take place on the waters of the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) dam.

"I have asked for a plan that can seat 10,000 people to view the Aarati. Design configuration is underway," Shivakumar, the water resources minister, said after chairing a meeting to take stock of the Aarati preparations.

"People should be able to view it from four sides. Even those who don't pay should be able to watch it for free," he said. 

Shivakumar said the Cauvery Aarati will happen some distance away from the KRS dam. "I wanted it to happen right under the dam, but due to security concerns, it will happen some distance away where there is water," he said.

Tourism is among the main focus areas for the government with the Cauvery Aarati. "We want this to be a spectacle. People should travel one-and-a-half hours from Bengaluru to participate in the Aarati and return. We want to do Aarati as per our dharmic and cultural practice," Shivakumar said. 

Apart from Water Resources, The Cauvery Aarati will involve the departments of Tourism, Kannada & Culture, Muzrai and Energy, each handling a different aspect. "The Muzrai department will decide on the dharmic aspects of the Aarati," Shivakumar said.

Anticipating a growth spurt due to the Cauvery Aarati, the government has decided to form a Planning Authority to ensure regulation. "This Authority won't acquire lands. We will allow people to take up development on their own properties such as setting up hotels," Shivakumar said. 

Shivakumar pointed out that Karnataka is required to give Tamil Nadu 177 tmcft of Cauvery water every year. "After we announced the Cauvery Aarati, 295 tmcft has flowed into Tamil Nadu," he said. The government has not decided on the frequency of the Cauvery Aarati.

Shivakumar said he wants a theme song for Cauvery Aarati like the state has Kuvempu's Jaya Bharata Jananiya Tanujathe.