Mangaluru prepares to host third edition of ‘Den Den’ intl sea swimming championship
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Mangaluru: While swimming in pools is a familiar sport, swimming in the open sea is an adventure. Embracing this adventure, the Mangalore Surf Club is set to organise the third edition of its international sea swimming championship, ‘Den Den,’ on January 26 at Tannirbhavi Beach.
The championship, which has been conducted for the past two years, has witnessed growing participation with each edition. Preparations for the event are already underway, as the organisers expect a significant rise in the number of swimmers this year.
National-level swimmers from various parts of the country will take part in the competition, which will be held in the sea waters off Tannirbhavi Beach at Surf Club Beach (Tannirbhavi Beach-1).
Karthik Narayan, Secretary of the Mangalore Surf Club, said around 200 swimmers participated in the second edition last year, while nearly 400 competitors are expected to take part this year.
The club has already started preparations for the sporting event, with the championship pulling in a larger number of swimmers every year.
Olympian Gagan Ullal of the Mangalore Surf Club, who represented India at the London Olympics, is heading the technical committee for this year’s Den Den Swimming Competition.
Given that the event is being held in open sea waters, the Indian Coast Guard will extend its cooperation for security and safety measures, as in previous years. Along with trained lifeguards, the Coast Guard will be responsible for ensuring the safety of swimmers and preventing interference from fishing boats or other vessels during the competition.
Organisers said the Den Den Swim Campaign is conducted with a strong emphasis on sea safety and awareness.
The competition will be conducted with the main objective of ensuring the safety of sea water. It commences at 6.30 am and conclude at 9.30 am.
Highlighting the new additions this year, Karthik Narayan said that while last year’s event featured races of 500 metres, 2 km, 4 km and 6 km, an 8 km sea swim has been introduced in this edition.
He also noted that while three international swimmers participated last year, the organisers are expecting around 10 international swimmers to compete this time.
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Centre spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print media ads for RSS centenary, reveals RTI
New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Culture allegedly spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print advertisements marking the 100-year celebrations of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), according to a Right to Information (RTI) reply.
The information was sought by RTI activist Ajay Basudev Bose, who filed an application seeking details on expenditure incurred by the ministry for advertisements commemorating the RSS centenary.
Bose shared a picture of the reply from the ministry on his official ‘X’ handle.
“It is informed that an amount of Rs 76,13,129 has been spent on advertisement given in various print media by the Ministry of Culture on the occasion of the completion of 100 years of RSS,” the government’s reply stated.
RTI reply shows Min of Culture Govt of India spent a Whopping Rs 76L,13K,129 on Advertisement in Print Media on occasion of 100 yrs of #RSS
— AJAY Basudev Bose (@AjayBos93388306) April 16, 2026
When Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??@RSSorg… pic.twitter.com/dW4IUtdNCg
Bose questioned the expenditure in the post X, “when Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??”
Reacting to the development, Karnataka’s IT-BT and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge also criticised the spending.
In a post on X, he asked why public money was being used for what he described as a “private ideological project.”
"Modi Sarkar spent Rs 76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS. Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to celebrate their centenary?," he added.
Why is public money being used to serve a private ideological project?
— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) April 16, 2026
Modi Sarkar spent ₹76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS.
Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to… pic.twitter.com/EoZ6Pim3IM
According to reports, the RSS describes itself as a volunteer-based organisation and has stated that it functions as a body of individuals rather than a registered entity.
Founded by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in 1925, the organisation is marking its centenary year beginning from Vijaydashami in 2025, with the milestone observed on October 2.
