This year’s Dasara in Mysore is a Rs 10-crore event, with a major chunk of the funds going to the Vijaya Dasami procession scheduled for October 9. Of the Rs 10 crore, half the amount has been allocated to the Mysore City Corporation for its works, which includes sprucing up the city to turn the old royal city attractive.
Speaking to Business Standard, deputy commissioner Manivannan, who is also the special officer and chairman of the Mysore Dasara Festivities Committee, said the various sub-committees constituted to organise the programmes had sought Rs 13.18 crore as against the release of Rs 10 crore for the Nada Habba or the state festival.
Of the Rs 10 crore, Rs 7.85 crore has been released to the city corporation and the sub-committees, which are giving final touches to the programmes.
For the major event, the Dasara procession, the sub-committee had asked for Rs 1.26 crore. As against this, the allocation was Rs 60 lakh, and Rs 50 lakh had already been released. The allocation covers the expenditure towards arranging the Torchlight Parade at the Bannimantap grounds, the finale of the celebrations.
The highest allocation out of Rs 5 crore has gone for the Yuva Dasara or the Youth Dasara, a mega cultural event that draws big crowds, mostly young boys and girls. As against Rs 1.50 crore sought, Rs 80 lakh has been allocated and Rs 60 lakh released.
Manivannan said the tableaux formed a chief attraction of the procession for which full allocation of Rs 9.5 lakh sought by the sub-committee had been made and of which Rs 4 lakh has already been made available.
Cultural programmes, including classical music concerts arranged in front of the palace on the first nine evenings, get an allocation of Rs 55 lakh of which Rs 35 lakh has been released.
About Rs 30 lakh has been allocated for each of wrestling, rural Dasara and publicity. Turning Mysore into a veritable city of lights will cost Rs 20 lakh, Rs 5 lakh less than the committee had estimated.
The other major allocations and release made so far comprise women and children Dasara Rs 13 lakh, Dasara Darshan Rs 12.50 lakh, sound and light Rs 11 lakh, Janapadothsava (folk festival) Rs 10 lakh, reception committee Rs 8.5 lakh, Farmers’ Dasara Rs 7 lakh, and poets’ meet Rs 5 lakh, the DC added.
Another highlight of the allocation is Rs 1 lakh made for the welcome presentation to the family of Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar, the scion of the royal family.
