All eyes are on the Dasara High Power Committee, which is expected to meet in Bengaluru soon to finalise the format of the festivities amid the pandemic. The big questions are whether the Vijayadashami procession be confined to the century-old Ambavilas Palace instead of the usual 4-km-long route (Raja Marga), and if the entire elephant contingent will participate.
Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa has said that Mysuru Dasara will be a low-key affair this year. The government is expected to make its stand clear by next week on how the event would be celebrated.
Sources told The Hindu that senior officials from Mysuru would be making a presentation before the Chief Minister in the meeting to be attended by Minister in charge of Mysuru district S.T. Somashekar, Minister for Tourism C.T. Ravi and others.
In the past, the celebrations had been scaled down for various reasons, including drought, floods, natural calamities, kidnap of Dr. Rajkumar by forest brigand Veerappan and farmers’ suicides. There is an example of Jamboo Savari being confined to the palace premises during a low-key Dasara.
Mysuru Dasara, or the ‘Nada Habba’, has been a crowd-puller, but it is unlikely to be so this time. Even the stakeholders of the tourism sector have welcomed the government’s move to keep the event low-key.
Mysuru Hotel Owners’ Association Narayana Gowda said, “In the interest of public health, let the Dasara remain a tradition one this year instead of organising the event on a large scale since social distancing would be difficult to maintain.”
In a letter, Federation of Farmers’ Association Kurubur Shanthkumar urged the Chief Minister to reconsider holding Dasara and Panchalinga Darshana festivities in view of the pandemic. The money proposed to be spent on the two events can be used for treating patients and strengthening hospitals, he suggested.
Sources in the Forest Department told The Hindu that the department had not received any communication so far on selecting Dasara elephants and also Gajapayana.
