TRADITIONAL:Dharmadhikari of Srikshetra Dharmasthala Veerendra Heggade and Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa offering flowers to the goddess Chamundeshwari to mark the inauguration of the 400th edition of Dasara in Mysore on Friday. Minister for Medical Education S.A. Ramdas is seen. MYSORE: Dasara celebrations signalling the beginning of 10 days of cultural programmes got under way here on Friday with prayers for the welfare of society and a call to uphold the richness and purity of Kannada culture.
Dharmadhikari of Srikshetra Dharmasthala Veerendra Heggade inaugurated the celebrations on the Chamundi Hills by making floral offerings to Goddess Chamundeshwari. He paid glowing tributes to the tradition of Dasara as celebrated in Mysore, which is known as “Naada Habba” (State festival).
Tracing the origin of Dasara and the way it was celebrated by the rulers of Vijayanagar, Mr. Heggade said the baton of tradition was passed on to the rulers of Mysore. Citing literary works of medieval travellers, including Abdur Razak of Persia, Mr. Heggade said that the festival had attained universal acclaim and was synonymous with Mysore. The city, he said, had preserved the purity of the language and the classical culture of the State as evident in the Dasara celebrations. “There are traces and influences of cultures of other States and languages in different districts of Karnataka but it is the Mysore region which has maintained the purity of Kannada and retained the classical culture of the State and this needs to be preserved and conserved for posterity,” said Mr. Heggade.
He said it was imperative to preserve this cultural purity and ensure that the influence of western culture symbolised by Bangalore was minimal. Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa said the State had received good rainfall during the year and greeted the people. His speech was, however, laced with allusion to the recent political developments in the State. Mr. Yeddyurappa said Dasara symbolised the victory of the good over evil forces but the undercurrent of the political message in the present context was not lost on the audience who applauded. He alluded to the crisis facing the Government due to dissidence by a few elected representatives and said their reasoning abilities and wisdom was clouded while expressing the hope that their ignorance would be eradicated by the grace of Goddess Chamundeshwari. Continuing in the same vein, Mr. Yeddyurappa said no power could dislodge the Government and reiterated that the BJP would complete its term in office. The Chief Minister, who sounded anguished due to the recent developments, said man changed his loyalty to fulfil his ambition and this attitude among the elected representatives was one of the reasons for the country's backwardness despite more than six decades of Independence and called upon the people to be wary of such people.
The Chief Minister referred to the historicity of Dasara and said the tradition which was inherited by the Wadiyars of Mysore was under the threat of going out of vogue but had been revived by the Government. He said the BJP, on assuming power, officially declared it as the State festival. Announcing a Rs. 10-crore grant for Dasara 2011, he said the Government was promoting the festivities to promote tourism. Mr. Yeddyurappa also reiterated his resolve to work for the comprehensive development of the State and review the progress periodically.
Earlier, Mr. Veerendra Heggade, Mr. Yeddyurappa and other elected representatives were accorded a traditional welcome when they arrived at Chamundi Hills. They were ushered into the temple where they offered special prayers for the welfare of the State. More than 400 women chanted Mahisasuramardhini Stotra to set the tone for the inauguration at 8.41 a.m. Elected representatives from Mysore and surrounding districts and officials were present while folk artistes with their ensemble of drums and percussion instruments were the cynosure of all eyes.
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