The birth centenary celebrations of the last Maharaja of Mysore, Jayachamaraja Wadiyar, was inaugurated at the Durbar Hall of the Mysuru palace on Thursday and tributes paid to his accomplishments and governance.
The former Governor of West Bengal, Gopalkrishna Gandhi, who inaugurated the celebrations remarked that in the present times when public office is sought with frenzy, maintained with tension and given up in despair, one had to look up to Jayachamaraja Wadiyar who assumed office with grace, held it with majesty and demitted it with serenity. One has to look up at the late Wadiyar for whom self-fulfilment and not status mattered and public office was not sought by wealth but from a sense of duty.
Mr. Gandhi said that 45 years after his passing away, 48 years after the abolition of the princely title and 69 years after the integration of the princely States in India which ended his political office and rule, Wadiyar’s name and fame remains undiluted. The late ruler’s works in his areas of interest – philosophy and music – displayed both creativity and aesthetics. He went beyond learning and enriched the field. He gave Mysuru an administration of which people were proud and though he was loyal to the British Raj and was entitled for a 21 gun salute, he did not lose a single day in merging Mysuru with the Union of India, remarked Mr. Gandhi.
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A CD containing the compositions of Jayachamaraja Wadiyar broadcast on AIR was released to mark the occasion.
Ms. Pramoda Devi Wadiyar of the erstwhile royal family and daughter-in-law of the late Wadiyar spoke about his early life, education and his zest for arts.
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Awards conferred
Nine persons were conferred the Jayachamaraja Wadiyar Birth Centenary Award in recognition of their contribution to society.
They are A.L. Shivarudrappa (philosophy), B.N.S. Iyengar (yoga exponent), M.A. Lakshmi Tatachar (Sanskrit scholar), T.V. Venkatachala Shastry (Kannada litterateur), B. Saroja Devi (Kannada actress), Sudha Murthy (philanthropy), Syed Ghani Khan (farming), Ajai Desai (wildlife scientist) and Pranavi Urs (sports).
Cultural programmes held on the occasion included a talk on the music composition of Wadiyar by T.S. Satyavathi, carnatic musician and scholar, and a talk on his contribution to western classical music by Khushroo N. Suntook, Chairman, National Centre for Performing Arts. This was followed by a concert by Symphony Orchestra of India, Mumbai.
Members of the erstwhile royal family including Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar were present.
Campus name
The new campus of the University of Mysore near the Chamundi foothills will be named after Jayachamaraja Wadiyar, the last Maharaja of Mysore. This was announced by H. Hemantha Kumar, Vice-Chancellor, University of Mysore during the birth centenary celebrations.
The Vice-Chancellor said the 23-acre campus will be called Jayachamaraja Wadiyar Centre of Higher Learning and the university will lay emphasis on humanities and science streams.