Mysuru Dasara 'secular', 'cultural' festival, says Siddaramaiah; Defends invite to Banu Mushtaq
Mysuru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday defended the decision to invite International Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq to inaugurate this year’s Mysuru Dasara, describing the event as a "secular" and "cultural" festival for all communities.
"Dasara is a cultural festival, it is ‘Nada Habba’ (state festival). There is nothing that it should be inaugurated only by people belonging to a certain religion. Nada Habba means a festival for everyone — Hindus, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Jains. This is the festival for everyone," he told reporters here.
"The high-power committee on Dasara had authorised me, and I decided that International Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq should inaugurate it. Earlier too, poet K S Nissar Ahmed from the Muslim community was invited to inaugurate Dasara," he added.
Calling those opposing the decision "bigots who don’t know history," Siddaramaiah pointed out that the festival had been celebrated under Hyder Ali, Tipu Sultan, and Diwan Mirza Ismail. "It is a secular festival, so I decided that the International Booker Prize winner should be invited. Some bigots are speaking against it; they need to learn history if they don’t know," he said.
The chief minister alleged that the BJP was politicising the issue.
Objections were raised after an old video of Mushtaq went viral, in which she had reportedly expressed reservations about worshipping Kannada as Goddess Bhuvaneshwari, calling it exclusionary to minorities.
BJP state president B Y Vijayendra and Mysuru MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar have demanded that Mushtaq clarify her reverence for Goddess Chamundeshwari before inaugurating the festivities.
Mushtaq has stated that her remarks were distorted, with selective portions of her speech being circulated on social media.
When her statement was interpreted as disrespecting Mother Kannada, Siddaramaiah said, "What does that have to do with inviting her to inaugurate Dasara? Will she write in Kannada without respecting Kannada Tayi? Her work ‘Hrudaya Hanate’ (Heart Lamp) is in which language? Is it possible to write in Kannada without love for the language? All her literary works are in Kannada."
Accusing the BJP of looking for "lame excuses" to oppose, he reiterated: "This is Nada Habba, I’m making it very clear. People from all communities participate in this festival. Inviting Banu Mushtaq to inaugurate it is appropriate."
On the BJP’s question as to why translator Deepa Bhasthi, who shared the International Booker Prize with Mushtaq, was not invited, the CM said: "Two people cannot inaugurate. Let’s look at it later, about honouring her in front of the Mysuru Palace. The government has already honoured both of them with Rs 10 lakh each."
This year’s Dasara celebrations will begin on September 22 and conclude with ‘Vijayadashami’ on October 2.
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Pakistan face must-win test against winless Namibia to seal Super 8s berth
Colombo (PTI): With their backs against the wall, former champions Pakistan will rely on their fragile batting to come good after the jolt against India and seal a Super 8s spot when they face struggling Namibia, in their final league fixture, here on Wednesday.
In Group A, title favourites India have already sealed their Super 8s berth after their handsome 61-run win over Pakistan the other day.
The second spot is now up for grabs, with the United States having their nose ahead of Pakistan.
Both teams have four points each but Pakistan are behind on Net Run Rate -- Pakistan have a negative NRR of -0.403, while the USA are comfortably placed at 0.788.
Pakistan's equation is simple -- win against the winless Namibia and make the cut as any slip-up could leave them relying on other permutation and combinations.
Led by Salman Ali Agha, Pakistan's campaign has suddenly entered a tense phase after what was meant to be a straightforward progression turned into a battle for survival following the defeat to India.
The spotlight will firmly be on their fragile batting -- including stalwart Babar Azam, openers Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub and their skipper Agha -- which was exposed in their defeat to India in Colombo.
Former Azam has been under pressure, especially after his seven-ball five against India, with calls for his exclusion growing louder.
After being reduced to 13 for 3 by India's pace duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, Pakistan's middle order offered no resistance -- worrying sign even against a side like Namibia.
Openers Sahibzada and Ayub, along with the middle order, will also need to show greater application.
Pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi also struggled, claiming just one wicket while conceding over 31 runs in his two overs.
The only bright spot was Ayub, who had India's top order in a spot of bother with his three-wicket haul.
Pakistan's key worry is Afridi's inconsistency; his struggle with rhythm and control was glaring when he leaked 15 runs in the crucial final over, handing India the late momentum.
Against Namibia, Afridi must strike early as removing key batters in the first six overs will let Pakistan dictate the match.
Pakistan's powerplay frailties also remain a worry -- they managed barely 40 runs while losing four wickets in the last game.
Frequent middle-order shuffles have created a muddle, putting late-order acceleration in doubt.
Namibia, though winless in three matches so far, have shown flashes of discipline and tactical awareness.
The smart tactics of their skipper Gerhard Erasmus paid dividends against India when the experienced offspinner cleverly released the ball halfway through his run-up and delivered from well behind the stumps to fox Tilak Varma during his splendid 4/20 spell.
He claimed the prized wickets of Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel, and his battle against Pakistan's struggling batters could be a key match-up.
Namibia, often thriving in the underdog role, will look to bow out with pride. If they can drag Pakistan into a low-scoring contest, nerves could once again come into play in what has become a crucial fixture for the 2009 champions.
Left-arm pacer JJ Smuts is also a constant thorn for batsmen, Namibia have the firepower to pull off an upset.
Opening batter Louren Steenkamp has delivered two encouraging knocks, including a half-century, in the previous games, while Jan Nicolaas Frylinck and Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton have added much-needed stability to Namibia's top order.
Teams (from):
Namibia: Gerhard Erasmus (c), Jan Balt, Jack Brassell, Alexander Busing-Volschenk, Jan Frylinck, Zane Green (wk), Max Heingo, Malan Kruger, Dylan Leicher, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Willem Myburgh, Bernard Scholtz, JJ Smit, Louren Steenkamp, Ruben Trumpelmann.
Pakistan: Salman Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan, Usman Tariq.
Match starts 3:00 p.m.
