Cannon firing drill was held in Mysuru on Wednesday to acquaint Dasara jumbos with the booming sound of cannons. The session went off smoothly.
The drill was held at the parking lot of Dasara Exhibition Grounds. A couple of such drills will happen in the coming days to acclimatise the elephants that take part in the Dasara procession on the day of Vijayadashami.
All 14 elephants, led by howdah jumbo Abhimanyu, were present when the drill was carried out by the personnel of City Armed Reserve.
While elephants taking part in the procession for the first time were made to stand in the front row, the veterans stood behind them during the drill.
Barring elephant Rohit, which is making Dasara debut this year, and a few horses of the Mounted Police, none of the other jumbos displayed panic from the loud sound of the cannons. The mahout of Rohit calmed the jumbo.
In total 21-rounds were fired from the cannons by the staff. In total, seven cannons were used to fire 21 rounds. Two more rehearsals will be held at the same venue in the coming days, while the final rehearsal is expected to be held at Varaha Gate of the Palace, the place from where the cannon firing is expected to be carried out on the day of Jamboo Savari.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Muthuraj, Deputy Conservator of Forest Saurabh Kumar, other police and forest officers were present.
