Mysuru Dasara will be celebrated with grandeur this year: CM Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru, Aug 12: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said it has been decided to celebrate "Nada Habba" (state festival) Mysuru Dasara with grandeur and in a meaningful way this year, in the wake of good rains in the state.
The Dasara festival will be held from October 3 to 12.
He was speaking to reporters after the high-level meeting on 'Nada Habba Mysuru Dasara – 2024' here today.
"Last year, It was not possible to celebrate the festival in a grand manner due to drought. This time there has been good rain across the state and almost all the reservoirs are full. In this background, it has been decided to celebrate Dasara as a festival of the people," Siddaramaiah said.
Last year, Rs 30 crore were given for Dasara celebrations, he said, adding this time necessary grants will be provided to celebrate it with grandeur.
He also directed that the tableaus participating in Dasara Jamboo Savari (a march of a dozen caparisoned elephants) should be more attractive, meaningful and diverse.
Noting that the Dasara celebrations will begin at Chamundi Hills in Mysuru on October 3 at 9.15 am, the CM said directions have been given to start the exhibition on the day of the Dasara inauguration, and departmental secretaries have been instructed to make arrangements of stalls on the inaugural day itself.
He said that the government's achievements and guarantee projects should be displayed in the stalls of all the departments in the exhibition.
According to tradition, after the 'Sharan Navaratri' festivities for 9 days, on the 10th day, Jumboo Savari will be held, the CM said that on the day of Jamboo Savari (October 12), puja will be performed to "Nandi Dhwaja" between 1.41 pm to 2.10 pm, and then the procession will begin with Puja from 4 pm.
Last year for the convenience of tourists, lighting arrangements — at the famed Mysuru palace and prominent buildings of the city —was extended by a week, he said, It has been decided to continue the lighting arrangements for 21 days this time, after Dasara.
A large number of "Tourist Mitra" and Home Guards will be deployed to assist the tourists. The police department has been instructed to make preparations so that there are no lapses in the parking and security systems, the CM further said.
"Cultural programmes, exhibitions, lighting, food fairs and other programmes should be organized in a very systematic and meaningful manner. Local artists should be given more opportunities as locals should be encouraged. Instructions have been given to organize events to give Dasara a new look," he added.
The Chief Minister also said that he has been authorized to decide on who will inaugurate the Dasara festival.
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Duleep Trophy: Pacers shine as India B beat India A by 76 runs
Bengaluru, Sep 8: KL Rahul's gumption, which helped him pile a patient fifty, found no resonance among his colleagues as India B pacers led by Yash Dayal pushed India A to a 76-run defeat on the fourth and final day of their Duleep Trophy match here on Sunday.
Chasing 275, India A were bundled out for 198 in their second innings as left-arm seamer Dayal (3/50), with able support from his colleagues Mukesh Kumar (2/50) and Navdeep Saini (2/41), led the India B attack.
Rahul top-scored for 'A' with a 51.
In the first session of the day, India B made 184 all out in their second essay to muster a handy overall lead of 274.
The India A chase began on a shaky note as Mayank Agarwal departed in the second over itself, wafting Dayal away from his body to Nitish Kumar Reddy, who made a wonderful diving catch at second slip.
That brought Riyan Parag to the middle and the right-hander followed the path set on Saturday by Rishabh Pant and Sarfaraz Khan.
Parag took on the bowlers and pacer Mukesh bore the brunt of his aggression, getting smoked for two sixes and the second maximum touched the roof of the Chinnaswamy Stadium over the mid-wicket region.
Parag added 48 runs for the second with a rather subdued Shubman Gill, who was dropped by Nitish Reddy at slips off Mukesh on 16, and 31 came off the former's bat in just 18 balls.
But the approach was tough to sustain considering the kind of assistance the bowlers were getting here, and soon his massive hoick off Dayal took an edge off Parag's bat en route to stumper Rishabh Pant.
Gill (21) departed soon, falling to Saini for the second time in the match and on this occasion, he edged the pacer to Pant.
Dhruv Jurel poked Dayal well outside off-stump to Yashasvi Jaiswal at gully, as India batters perished to a combination of bowlers' persistence on that channel and their own carelessness.
They took the lunch at a queasy 76 for four that soon transpired into 99 for six after the dismissal of Shivam Dube and Tanush Kotian, an hour into the lunch.
However, Rahul batted out 180 minutes 121 balls and milked 42 runs for the seventh wicket with Kuldeep Yadav to delay the inevitable.
The standout shot in an otherwise dour innings was a whistling on drive off Mukesh that fetched him a boundary.
But Mukesh had his revenge soon when Rahul feathered a cut off him to Pant, who completed five catches in this innings, soon after reaching his fifty with a single off Saini.
It effectively signalled the end of the road of for India A, though Akash Deep (43, 42b, 3x4, 4x6) gave a few moments of fun with a cavalier innings.
But beyond the entertainment value, it always was a case of when more than if.
Earlier, resuming from their overnight score of 150 for six India B could only 34 runs more to the total before getting bundled out.
Pacer Akash, whom Sarfaraz Khan carted around for five fours in a row the previous day, found his mojo to add the scalps of Washington Sundar and Saini to complete a five-wicket haul (5/56).
The spell will keep his name floating among the contenders when the selectors sit together soon to pick up squad for two-match Test series against Bangladesh.
