As the countdown begins for the 403rd Dasara cultural extravaganza in the Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah’s hometown Mysore, the district administration is trying hard to make it a unique event to enthral tourists coming from across the world. With the state experiencing bountiful rains in 2013 and no dearth of funds with the chief minister handling the finance portfolio, Dasara is being celebrated on a grander scale. The entire city is illuminated with colourful LED lights for the first time. The ten-day cultural festival which will be held from October 5 to 14, will begin with Jnanpeeth awardee Dr Chandrashekar Kambar offering pooja to Goddess Chamundeswari and lighting the traditional lamp at 10.44 am on Saturday at an event atop Chamundi hills, where Cm Siddaramaiah and other Cabinet ministers, elected representatives and officials will be present. The famous “Jumbo Savari” procession will be held on October 14. Traditional music and dance concerts by 192 artistes including local artistes and those of state, national and international acclaim, a dance drama by noted film star Hema Malini, dances by 40 Russian artistes, Hindustani concert by Pandit Jesraj, fusion music by Louis Banks, Sufi music by Mukthiyar Ali, Tabla by Rimpa Shiva will enthral art lovers between October 5 and 13. As many as 1,000 artistes are expected to participate in “Suryaninda Chandr-anedege” a 12 hour non-stop musical extravaganza on October 6. Film song performances at Yuva Dasara from October 7 to 12 by Indian Idol Junior winner Anjana, playback singers Shaan, Sunidhi Chauhan, Sukhvinder Singh, a drums performance by Shivamani and others await tourists at Maharaja’s College grounds. International Athlete and Olympian Milka Singh will inaugurate Dasara Sports. A galaxy of sandalwood stars are expected to descend for the inaugural event of the Dasara film fest on Saturday which will screen 80 popular and award winning movies with at least 24 movies in foreign languages apart from Kannada and Hindi movies at various venues between October 5 and 12. Apart from these events, 15 varieties of tongue tickling sumptuous delicacies along with free diet tips from professionals await food lovers at the Dasara Food Festival at Scouts and Guides grounds.
