A grand procession that passed through the main thoroughfares of the city marked the Kempe Gowda Jayanti celebrations in Mysuru on Tuesday.
Folk and cultural troupes were led by a sarot carrying a statue of Kempe Gowda through the route of the procession, which was flagged off from the Kote Anjaneyaswamy Temple in front of Mysuru palace by Minister for Social Justice H.C. Mahadevappa, who is also the Minister in charge of Mysuru district.
The procession, which also comprised a number of decorated carts and other vehicles, passed through Chamaraja Circle, K.R. Circle, D. Devaraj Urs Road, and Jhansi Lakshmi Bai Road before entering Vinobha Road at Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa Circle, also known as Metropole circle, and reaching Kalamandira, where a stage programme had been organised.
Mr. Mahadevappa, while flagging off the procession, paid glowing tributes to the contribution of Kempe Gowda, who founded Bengaluru in the 16th century. He described Kempe Gowda as a visionary, who built several lakes and water bodies in and around Bengaluru, which had today grown by leaps and bounds. He said Bengaluru had given livelihood to a large number of people from different parts of the country.
He called upon the youth to draw inspiration from Kempe Gowda, who strove for the overall development of society without discrimination.
Mr. Mahadevappa also made it a point to mention that it was the Congress government led by Siddaramaiah, which officially began celebrating Kempe Gowda Jayanti in 2013. He said there was no politics behind the move and added that Kempe Gowda Jayanti was celebrated on apolitical lines.
Pratap Simha, Mysuru MP, also spoke on the occasion and said the Bengaluru founded by Kempe Gowda had now become a commercial hub for Karnataka by generating a large amount of revenue.
Earlier, the procession was flagged off in the presence of Adichunchanagiri Shakha Mutt seer Sri Somanatha Swami. A host of people’s representatives, including MLAs G.T. Deve Gowda, K. Harish Gowda, G.D. Harish Gowda, MLC Marithibbe Gowda, and former MLA L. Nagendra, besides Deputy Commissioner of Mysuru K.V. Rajendra were present.
