BENGALURU: IN a first, since it started, the famous Sri Ram Navami musical festival will not be performed this year. The organisers have postponed the first one week’s events to May. However, there is an uncertainty over holding the musical festival this year as per the schedule. The event was started in 1939 by an avid music lover S V Narayan Rao with the leftover money he had from the Ganesha puja celebration. It started on a road side at Chamarajapet and when the popularity increased, the venue was changed.
For the past many years, the musical event would take place at Fort High School Grounds in Chamarajapet. S N Varadaraja, son of late Narayana Rao, who is the Managing Trustee of the event, said, for the first time, they have to postpone the event. “The entire world is suffering due to coronavirus. There will be no performance on Rama Navami (April 2) and no performances till April 7. Noted singers were supposed to perform,’’ he said. However, they are hoping to start in the first week of April, depending on the situation. “We will be taking precaution, including keeping a sanitiser for every 20 seats, maintaining distance between seats among other measures. This apart, this year we have also arranged a live stream, so that people can watch from any place.
The pandal will be sanitised every day. According to organisers, this year Sri Rama Navami Musical festival was scheduled to begin on April 2, 2020 (Ram Navami day) and goes on till May 2, 2020. Over 400 internationally reputed artists perform in this month-long musical festival. The event has always been prestigious, it was always inaugurated by eminent persons, three Presidents, four Vice Presidents and all the Chief Ministers of Karnataka and Mysuru state. In 1954, it was inaugurated by Jayachamaraja Wodeyar. From noted musician M S Subbalakshmi to Yesudas, Balamurli Krishna, and Veene Doreswamy Iyengar, have performed in this event.