MYSURU: Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Sunday described Mysuru Dasara as a confluence of four guiding lights – strength, knowledge, culture and equality – and said strength leads to achievement, knowledge to development, culture to equality and equality to peace.
Speaking at his maiden Dasara celebration as CM, Shivakumar defended his decision to organise Kambala as part of this year’s Dasara, stating that it recalled the cultural traditions of the Vijayanagara period. The programme is being held despite criticism, he said.
“Removing the thorn of ignorance with the thorn of knowledge is education, while removing the thorn of unrighteousness with the thorn of righteousness is Dasara. Seeing God in a temple is devotion, but seeing God in human beings is humanity,” he said.
Shivakumar said the tradition of Dasara was started by Vijayanagara rulers and carried forward by the Mysuru Wadiyars, who transformed it into a platform for promoting art and culture, rather than restricting it to religious rituals. During the past four centuries, the festival adapted to changing times and evolved into a celebration that brought people together, he said. Mysuru city grew through its traditions, rather than wars and conflicts, and its heritage is not limited to palaces, he said.
Shivakumar credited Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar with laying the foundation for the ‘Brand Mysuru’ concept, citing Mysuru Silk, Mysore Sandal Soap, Mysuru paintings, Mysore Pak and KRS dam as achievements that took the city’s name beyond the state’s borders.