Two-day 'Mysuru Sangeetha Sugandha' begins on Saturday

Mysuru: The second edition of the two-day 'Mysuru Sangeetha Sugandha' - a music festival - began at the Senate Bhavan of University of Mysore, in Mysuru, on Saturday.

The fest is organised to celebrate the Daasa tradition of Carnatic classical music and to promote intangible musical and cultural heritage of the land. It is also held to promote Mysuru as a hub for music tourism.

Mysore-Kodagu MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar inaugurated the fest and said that it has been meaningful to host the festival in Mysuru, as it is the cultural capital of Karnataka. "Its rich musical heritage, tradition, art and culture are the city's identity. The fest is organised to further foster, popularise rich musical tradition, especially the Daasa tradition, among people, especially the younger generation, besides encouraging the artistes. PM Narendra Modi believes in 'Sab Ka Saath Sabka Viraasath' and he feels that the conservation of our heritage is a base to build a 'Vikasith Bharath (developed Nation)'. This fest is a dream of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Seetharaman and the first edition was launched by her last year in Mysuru," he recalled.

Twenty-two artistes from across Karnataka and Country are singing keerthanes of Purandaradasa, Kanakadasa, Vijayadasa, Gopaladasa, Jagannathadasa, Venugopaladasa, Mahipathi Dasa, Prasannna Venkatadasa and Vyasarajaru paying tributes to the the saint-composers. The first edition of the fest focused mainly on the compositions of Purandaradasa.

The fest is also showcasing the state's legacy in art, craft, and handloom by artisans and weavers at an expo organised by the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts and Handlooms). A culinary counter by Institute of Hotel Management of Bengaluru is also introducing authentic Karnataka cuisines. Tourism department has even come up with a counter to promote local tourism destinations.

MLA T S Srivatsa, Union Secretary for Tourism V Vidyavathi, Karnataka Secretary for Tourism K V Trilok Chandra joined Yaduveer in the inaugural event. The fest is hosted by the Union Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with Union Ministry of Culture, Sangeet Natak Academi, along with the government of Karnataka. Noted musicians Mysore Manjunath and Vidyabhushan were part of the fest.