Second batch of Dasara elephants arrives in Mysuru, training for grand finale intensifies
Mysuru : Mysuru welcomed the second batch of five Dasara elephants, including three debutants, on Monday evening. Their weights were recorded Tuesday morning at the 60-year-old lorry weighing bridge on Dhanvanthri Road, as reported by Deccan Herald.
Among them, 43-year-old Sugreeva from Dubare camp topped the scales at 5,545 kg, followed closely by 56-year-old newcomer Srikanta from Matthigodu camp of Nagarahole Tiger Reserve at 5,540 kg. Gopi (42) from Dubare camp weighed 4,990 kg, while debutant Roopa (44) from Bheemanakatte camp registered 3,320 kg. The youngest, Hemavathi (11) from Dubare, weighed 2,440 kg.
This second batch has joined the first group of nine elephants : Abhimanyu, Lakshmi, Kaveri, Bheema, Mahendra, Ekalavya, Prashantha, Dhananjaya, and Kanjan , for daily training sessions.
On Tuesday morning, all 14 elephants marched in perfect formation along the Jamboo Savari procession route (Raja Marga), from Mysuru Palace’s North Gate to Government Ayurveda College Circle. Spectators thronged the streets to photograph and record the majestic sight. Forest officials, police, and a metal detector-equipped escort vehicle accompanied the herd to ensure safety.
With 36 days left until the iconic Dasara Jamboo Savari on October 2, training will now intensify. The elephants are currently being acclimatised to the procession route, both in daylight and under evening lights. Upcoming sessions will include familiarisation with cannon fire, participation in royal family rituals, and practice with wooden howdahs weighing as much as the 750-kg golden howdah carried by Abhimanyu for the past five years.
To build stamina, the elephants are on a special diet of boiled rice with pulses, vegetables, and butter before and after training, supplemented with paddy, coconut, jaggery, groundnut cake, sugarcane, and fresh fodder during the day.
The first batch of nine elephants arrived on August 4 after the traditional Gajapayana send-off from Veeranahosahalli near Nagarahole Tiger Reserve and were welcomed at Mysuru Palace.
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PM Modi, myself don't have 'wife issue': Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi (PTI): In a friendly banter, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Friday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and he didn’t have "the wife issue", as the Congress MP emphasised that everyone has learnt from women in their lives.
Participating in a debate in the Lok Sabha on the three bills introduced for amendments to the women's quota law and setting up a delimitation commission, Gandhi said women are a driving force in the national imagination and national perspective.
"All of us in this room have been influenced, taught, and have learnt a lot from women in our lives – from mothers, sisters, wives," Gandhi said.
"Of course, the prime minister and myself don't have the wife issue, so we don't get that input, but we have our mothers and sisters," he said while referring to Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju's light-hearted remark that he got a scolding at home as he did not pen a poem for his wife like Union minister Arjun Ram Meghwal did.
Gandhi also lauded his sister and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi's speech in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.
"Yesterday, I was watching my sister achieve in five minutes what I have not been able to do in 20 years of my political career – make Amit Shah Ji smile," Gandhi said to peals of laughter.
