Mysore Dasara gets 60% of the required funds

The state government has released Rs 6 crore for the ensuing Dasara celebrations in Mysore.

With this, preparations have been fast-tracked for holding the historic celebrations on a grand scale as in last years, Deputy Commissioner P S Vastrad said in Mysore on Thursday.

Vastrad told reporters after receiving the first contingent of six elephants at the palace where they will be stationed and be given extra care to make them fit to participate in the Dasara procession on the concluding Vijaya Dasami day. He said, the mahouts who are accompanying the jumbos, including the howdah carrier 53-year-old tusker Balarama, had been insured.

Nine deputy Dasara special officers to supervise the 25 sub-committees set up to arrange various programmes during the nineday celebrations had been appointed . They were busy making preparations for the task they have been assigned with.

“The process of selection of themes for the tableaux to participate in the Dasara procession is also on,” the DC said.

It was intended to avoid wasteful expenditure and make the best use of the funds sanctioned by the government to make the celebrations as grand as possible, Vastrad added.

Earlier, the first batch of six elephants which had left Veeranahosalli, Nagarahole forest, was received in a ceremonial-cum-religious ceremony at the Palace Jayamarthanda main gate by the deputy commissioner and other officials. Medical Education Minister S A Ramadas, who was expected to attend the programme as chief guest, was conspicuous by his absence. After a march to the palace Elephant Gate, the jumbos were taken to their temporary camping site in the palace premises by the accompanying mahouts.

The six elephants include a teenage female elephant Gange. The 14-year-old will be participating for the first time in Dasara and she was born to 54-year-old Mary, who is also participating in the celebrations for the 11th year. Perhaps it will be the first time a mother and a daughter will be participating in Dasara in recent years. Incidentally, Gange will be the youngest of the 13-elephant Dasara contingent.

Apart from Balarama, the other three elephants which were given a royal welcome were 45-year-old Abhimanyu, and 69-year-old Sarala and 51-year-old Arjuna. Gajendra, who is 56 and dons the role of the sacred or ‘Pattada’ elephant is in the palace elephant stable itself.