After two years of severe drought and strict austerity, relatively better rain this year promises to bring back the traditional opulence of Mysuru Dasara, which is set to begin on September 21.
The city is all set for a cultural extravaganza and many other activities over 10 days and the sagging hospitality industry is hoping to ride on the buoyant mood. The city will soak in the spirit of music, dance, food, adventure sports, film festival, wrestling, poets’ meet, Mushaira, Yuva Dasara, Yoga Dasara, Dasara sports, and marathon at multiple venues. The grand Dasara finale — Jamboo Savari and Torchlight Parade — will be on as usual.
Some of the mega performers are dancers Sudha Chandran and Shobana, singer Subha Mudgal, musician Lakwhinder Wadali, vocalist T.M. Krishna, and ghazal singer Talat Aziz.
Along with the regular staples are some special events designed newly this year, some using state-of-the-art technology and some relying on the traditional cuisine of the region.
This year, the 133-year-old Town Hall building will be wrapped in 3D projection mapping to showcase the glorious history of Mysuru and the journey of Mysuru Dasara through 407 years. The iconic structure will come alive with the state-of-art-technology and graphically-created visuals. Tourists can experience this from September 27 to 29 from 8 p.m. to 10.30 p.m.
This year’s Dasara Ahara Mela will have much to offer. At the two venues — Scouts and Guides Grounds and next to Lalitha Mahal Palace on the foothills of the Chamundi — lip-smacking food, including rare tribal foods like Bamboo Biriyani, will be served. Starting September 21, the mela will take foodies on a gastronomic journey.
Another feature is that the stretch of D. Devaraja Urs Road, the prime commercial hub, will be made traffic free and all activities — music, dance, wall painting, games, story telling, skating, food and more — will be featured for tourists on September 25 on the occasion of Tourism Day. This is on the lines of “Namma Bengaluru Habba” at Sankey Tank in Bengaluru by the Tourism Department.
Publicity blitzkrieg
While the Cauvery agitation and protests did not bring too many tourists last year, the situation appears upbeat this time round.
Keeping with that, the Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation has begun Dasara promotions in a big way, which will be expanded to the Bengaluru international airport, Mysuru airport (which is back on the air map from September 20 under UDAN), railway stations and bus terminuses in Bengaluru.
The promotions in print and electronic media have begun with the catchphrase “One festival, many celebrations, one festival, many experiences”. The Mysuru Dasara Festival Committee has uploaded the details on www.mysoredasara.gov.in