Mysore, August 18, 2013: With the district administration gearing up for the festivities to be held from October 5 to 14, a slew of suggestions have come from social activists and stakeholders.

Vasanthkumar Mysoremath, a social activist, pointed out that apart from resorting to social media to popularise Dasara, it was imperative to involve the people to make the nada habba a true ‘Mysorina Janatheya Habba’.

In a bid to broad-base the appeal of the festivities, he suggested that a portion of the money that goes into repairing the procession route be utilised to improve the living conditions of the people living in old areas or koppals, keris and mohallas, and since it is nada habba, these people too have a share in the Dasara funds, according to Mr. Mysoremath.

K.S. Nagapati, director of the Mahajana Tourism Development Institute, met district in-charge Minister V. Srinivas Prasad on Thursday and made a detailed presentation on the need to shore up the quality of festivities and retain its essence.

‘Meaningless’ events

Speaking to The Hindu , Prof. Nagapati said a slew of meaningless events were added to the celebrations in the last couple of years, “none of which had anything to do with the traditional Dasara.”

“We urged the Minister to pay attention to the classical and cultural programmes which continue to be the mainstay of Mysore Dasara,” he added. Though the government markets Dasara Gold Cards which are sold at a whopping Rs. 6,000 per, cardholders are denied even basic seating during the day of the procession.

Prof. Nagapati and S.M. Jambukeshwar, member of the Karnataka Lalitakala Academy, stressed the need to constitute a permanent committee to organise Dasara with preparations round the year, so as to avoid uncertainty.

Since Dasara is closely entwined with tourism, Prof. Nagapati called for constituting a Regional Tourism Authority which would promote Mysore and the surrounding regions. “Mysore receives nearly 3.5 million domestic and international tourists every year. But there are other places of tourist interest spread over Kodagu, Chikamagalur, Hassan, Mandya and Chamarajanagar, and the Regional Tourism Authority can conceive an integrated development plan to promote the entire region,” said Prof. Nagapati.

Mr. Mysoremath, who concurs with this view, suggested the constitution of a quasi-permanent Dasara Tourism Committee. “This committee should be formed six months earlier, immediately after the presentation of the State budget, since it is the officials who actually carry on the work,” he added.

International level

On the promotion of Dasara, Prof. Nagapati said it was done “at the last minute and at local levels. Dasara has yet to be promoted at an international level.”

“I attended the International Tourism Fair at Berlin which is also the world’s largest tourism fair and is held every year. Though Karnataka was represented, there was not a single word about Dasara,” he said. The government should be more serious about branding the event to harness its full potential, he felt.

Source: The Hindu, DT. August 18, 2013.