The district administration has urged the government to constitute a Dasara high-powered committee to signal the countdown to the preparation of the festivities.
Deputy Commissioner C. Shikha told media persons on Saturday that the process has been set in motion and the finer details related to budget among other things will be decided by the committee, which will meet in Bengaluru in due course.
District in-charge Minister H.C. Mahadevappa indicated that the panel may meet within a week and give the go-ahead for this year’s festivities. Dasara was scaled down last year at the behest of writers, intellectuals and farmers in view of the drought and spate of farmers’ suicide owing to crop failure.
However, with the onset of monsoon, which is gathering momentum, the authorities are expecting the reservoirs to be full and hence the festival is likely to regain its grandeur.
Reckoned to be a fulcrum to promote tourism in Mysuru, the festival will commence from October 1 and the preparations will take around two months. Though the template for the festivities, including constitution of the sub-committees are mere formalities, the selection of artistes for the cultural programmes, identifying the venues, besides hosting a slew of events to reach every section of the society, takes time.
Besides, elephants from the jungle camps have to be brought to the city 40 days ahead of the festivities to familiarise them with the ambience of the concrete. The elephants can be brought to the city only after the dates are finalised.
The Forest Department personnel too are grappling with problems of their own, as some of the elephants, veterans of Mysuru Dasara, are aging and may not withstand the rigours of the 10-day event. But their replacement is expected to be a long-drawn process as not all elephants may temperamentally be suited for the task.
