Various cultural programmes such as dance and music recitals by noted artistes and film celebrities will be held on the Mysuru Dasara Exhibition grounds this year. A committee has been constituted to chalk out the cultural programmes during the exhibition.
The famed exhibition will begin here on October 14 and will go on for 90 days. Over 211 stalls have been erected on the grounds, with merchandise including handicraft items, clothing, jewellery, kitchenware, cosmetics, and food.
R. Murthy, chairman of the Karnataka Exhibition Authority (KEA), which is entrusted with managing the exhibition, said that artistes such as Hema Malini, Mukesh and S.P. Balasubramanyam had performed during the exhibition, but such programmes had been discontinued for sometime now.
The authority wants to re-introduce such programmes in a bid to give a variety of entertainment to the people, he said, adding that the people, who visit the exhibition grounds at an entry fee of Rs. 20, would go back completely contented.
Since the high-level committee has decided to scale down the Dasara events this year in view of the farmers’ suicides and drought, there would be no cultural programmes elsewhere in the city during the Dasara festivities, Mr. Murthy said.
Efforts to set up miniatures of all the seven wonders of the world on the exhibition grounds — expected to become one of the major tourist attractions — were on and they would be ready by October 14, he said.
There would be at least 45 different kinds of amusement activities and games in the exhibition, and there were plans to introduce, probably for the first time, different water sports for children below six years.
The Mysuru Dasara Exhibition is a historic event introduced by Maharaja of Mysore Chamaraja Wodeyar X in 1880, with the aim of introducing timely developments to the people of Mysuru and surrounding regions. Lakhs of domestic and international tourists visit the exhibition every year.
