Dasara set for smooth sailing

Pramoda Devi, widow of late Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar, and the government seem to have settled their differences

Now that the reported differences between Pramoda Devi, widow of late Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar, scion of the Mysore royal family, and the government have settled down, Mysore Dasara is set for a smooth sailing from September 25 in Mysore.

After discussions with district in-charge minister V Sreenivasa Prasad and co-operation minister H S Mahadeva Prasad, who met her along with deputy commissioner and Dasara special officer C Shikha and others, at the Mysore Palace, Pramoda Devi made clear her co-operation for the state-sponsored 10-day–long celebrations.

Doubts had emerged over Pramoda Devi not favouring gala cultural programmes before the palace in view of the year-long mourning that the royal family is observing over the demise of the last scion of the Mysore royal family.

At a joint press meet, Pramoda Devi made it clear yesterday, she had never made any statement against the celebrations nor did she try to ‘blackmail’ the government. Even at the July press meet, she promised her support.

Blaming the media for the confusion, she said she had made known the feelings of the royal family and had advised against holding grand celebrations at the Palace, a portion of which is the residential part of the royal family. She denied she had created confusion in respect of the celebrations. She had only sought that the royal family’s sentiments be respected.

Reiterating that the royal family’s co-operation, Pramoda Devi said that Dasara would take place as earlier. There need be no doubt on this. The traditions relating to the Dasara religious rituals observed by the royal family would continue this time too in the palace.

The cultural programmes in front of the palace would also take place and she had held discussions on this too with Prasad. He would chalk out the programmes, she said. She also promised to lend the golden howdah for the Vijaya Dasami procession.

Prasad said that the celebrations would be held keeping in mind the feelings of the royal family. It would be conducted in a way that the celebrations would not come in the way of the observance of the festival by the royal family. The government had not proposed anything that would hurt the feelings of the royal family.

The cultural programmes would take place in front of the palace just as in previous years, with certain modifications, like dropping of dance performances, and would be dedicated to late Wadiyar.

Following the discussions, the minister formally invited Pramoda Devi for the Dasara celebrations.