President Droupadi Murmu inaugurated the Dasara festivities by offering floral tributes to the deity of Chamundeshwari atop Chamundi Hills in Mysuru on Monday, clad in the iconic Mysore silk sari that was exclusively woven for her in one of the country’s oldest silk factories founded during the regime of Wadiyars. She was also presented with the traditional Mysore peta
Tradition and technology
Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Murmu said Dasara festivities in Mysuru are a celebration of Indian culture and tradition. She acknowledged the presence of the country’s key spiritual centres in Karnataka, citing ancient sites of Jainism and Buddhism, the Sringeri mutt established by Adi Shankaracharya, Sufi cultural practices in Kalaburagi, and Anubhava Mantapa of 12th-century social reformer Basavanna.
She pointed out that Karnataka is also, at the same time, leading the country in the field of Information Technology by bagging 53% of the total Foreign Direct Investment received by India in hardware and software during the financial year 2021-22 and added that the State also tops the country in the innovation index of NITI Aayog’s Sustainable Development Goals India Index 2020-21.
Addressing the gathering, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said the Dasara festival, which is celebrated as a ‘Nada Habba’, or festival of the State, is an occasion for the people to purify their thoughts. Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot said he was attending the Dasara inaugural programme for the first time.
Minister for Co-operation S.T. Somashekar, who is also the Minister in charge of the Mysuru district, said it was a matter of pride that Ms. Murmu had inaugurated the event wearing a sari woven in the factory that was established in 1912 by the Mysore Maharajas. “Mysore silk is a famous brand of Karnataka known nationally and internationally,” said Mr. Somashekar.
At Hubballi
Later in the day, the President was offered Poura Sanmana (civic honour) at Hubballi by the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation and inaugurated the new campus of Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) in Dharwad.
Speaking at Dharwad, she said NEP 2020 lays emphasis on the need for building a knowledge society and that premier educational institutions have a crucial role to play in preparing youth in niche areas such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Data Analytics, and other such fields.
She said that if by using Artificial Intelligence, integration of bio-technology, nano-technology, and neuro-sciences can be achieved, then new types of innovations can be brought about in the fields of health, environment, and fields that are directly related to common people.
