The grand ‘Dasara jamboo savari’ held annually in Dharwad was a lacklustre event this time as the main attraction of the Dasara procession, the caparisoned elephants, were missing reportedly due to the stringent guidelines imposed this year. However the folk troupes added colour to the procession through their exuberant performances.
Although the Jamboo Savari Utsav Samiti had decided to make the celebrations simple this time on account of drought, they had not expected that the new guidelines would bar them from getting the elephants for the procession. Consequently, it was a simple event this time with the president of the samiti Gururaj Hunasimarad and other office-bearers formally inaugurating it at Bandemma Devi Temple of Gandhinagar in Dharwad on Monday evening.
The committee had made all efforts to make the procession colourful by inviting various folk troupes from different regions. The folk artistes through their lively performances enthralled the onlookers who had gathered on the roadsides to witness the event. However, the missing tuskers disappointed the people and some of them openly criticised the government for depriving them of the opportunity to witness the grand spectacle this time.
Inaugurating the procession, Mr. Hunasimarad also appealed to the State government to extend necessary assistance and encouragement to the annual event and facilitate getting the elephants for the event at least next year. The Jamboo Savari in Dharwad is being held here for the past 19 years.
After the inauguration, the procession comprising of various folk troupes and scores of people passed through Eshwar Temple, JSS College, Toll Naka, Sangam Talkies, NTTF, Old Bus Station before concluding at Kalabhavan premises.
As the caparisoned elephants were missing, the ‘ambari’ (howdah) carrying the idol of Goddess Durga was mounted on a decorated vehicle. Samiti office-bearers P.H. Kiresur, Subhash More, Manjunath Chikkannavar, Manoj Sangolli, Narayan Goparde, Manjugouda Patil, Mnajula Munji, Gandhinagar Yuvajana Sangha and Mahila Mandal led the procession.
