Erstwhile Mysuru ruler Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar’s birth anniversary was celebrated on Saturday but a poor response left the organisers baffled.
Only a few people attended the programme organised by the district administration, Kannada and Culture department and Arasu Jayantotsava Samiti at Kalamandira here.
Dignitaries recalled the contributions of Nalwadi, as he was popularly known, in the development of the city. After inaugurating the event, Varchaswi Siddalinga Raje Urs of Malavalli Mutt said that Nalwadi laid the foundation for the golden period of Mysuru. “His contribution towards Kannada language, arts and culture have been tremendous. Many industries came up during his reign,” he said.
Professor Chaitra Urs said that Nalwadi was the founder of modern Mysuru. “During his reign of 40 years, he ushered in development in politics, society, culture, economy, education and other sectors. He was an able administrator and strove for the upliftment of the backward classes.
Nalwadi, the 24th ruler of Yadu dynasty, formed a commission for the development of backward classes. Krishnaraja Wadiyar introduced reservation for backward castes in the government sector and empowered the women giving them the right to vote,” she said.
Earlier, folk artistes performed various folk arts and took out a procession from Lakshmiramana Swamy temple on Mysuru Palace premises to Kalamandira. The dignitaries also garlanded the statue of Wadiyar at K R Circle.
Delayed start
Though the event was organised to popularise contributions of Wadiyar and to pay tributes to him, only a few people attended the programme. People’s representatives, including PWD, district in-charge minister Dr H C Mahadevappa and MLA Vasu skipped the event.
In his keynote address, Kannada and Culture Assistant Director H Chennappa said that the minister and MLA could not attend the event due to certain unforeseen circumstances.
Though the authorities brought schoolchildren, several students left the venue as the programme was delayed by over one-and-a-half hours. The programme, which was scheduled to begin at 11 am, commenced only at 12.30 pm. Varchaswi Siddalinga Raje Urs expressed displeasure over the poor participation of people and said that, “Mysureans should have participated in large numbers.”
MLA M K Somashekar, Zilla Panchayat president Nayeema Sultana, Mysore Paints and Varnish chairman H A Venkatesh, Zoo Authority of Karnataka chairperson Mallige Veeresh, ZP vice president Nataraj and former mayor Purushottam were also present.
Published 18 February 2017, 18:29 IST