The city lived up to its reputation of being a cultural hub with an array of events held over the last 8 days to mark Dasara which will conclude on Tuesday.
It was also a continuation of the tradition started by the erstwhile maharajas to showcase the kaleidoscopic diversity of the region in the realms of fine arts. From classical dance and music to poetry recitation, folk dance and songs to theatre and film festival… this year’s Dasara had it all along with Yuva Dasara saw some of the more popular players from the world of Kannada film industry and Indipop regaling the youth.
The classical dance and music programmes remained the mainstay of Dasara and had performances at the Mysuru Palace that included a dance-drama by Bhavana Ramanna, Kathak performance by Hari and Chetan, classical music rendered by the Police Band, Hindustani classical by Subha Mudgal, Carnatic classical by T.M. Krishna, Hindustani-Carnatic jugalbandi by Shashank and Rakesh Chaurasia, Triveni, a confluence of Odissi, Kucchipudi, and Bharatnatyam by Sohini Bose Bannerje, Sarod by Rajeev Taranath to name a few.
There were other venues too which hosted cultural events including Chamundi Hills, Karnataka Kalamandira, Dasara exhibition grounds, Town Hall, Clock Tower, Ganabharati, Nadabrahma Sangeetha Sabha, Jaganmohan Palace and also at Srikanteshwara temple at Nanjangud while a mobile team of cultural troupes performed at different places during the celebrations.
Dasara flower show at Kuppanna Park continues to be popular as ever and it had some of the highest footfalls along with the cultural events at the palace. Aahara Mela brought culinary delights from different parts of Karnataka to Mysuru and the venue at the Scouts and Guides Ground remained as crowded as ever underlining its popularity with the public.
The Mahanavami puja will be performed on Monday and the stage will be set for the famed Jamboo Savari on Tuesday to bring the curtains down on Dasara which is a celebration of the cultural diversity of the State.
