Heavy tourist inflow for Mysore Dasara

Mysore, Sep 27 (UNI) The world famous Dasara festivities here, entering the fifth day today, is gaining momentum, with a large number of tourists, including foreigners, making a beeline to this city of palaces.

The ten-day festival had become the star attraction, a fact vouched by the almost cent per cent occupancy in the city hotels.

The mega cultural programme held in front of the Mysore palace had proved to be a crowd puller. The programme, which began with light music by famous Kannada playback singer C Aswath, had Hindustani vocal recital by eminent musicians Rajan Mishra and Sajan Mishra. The impeccable rendition by the Mishra brothers provided a musical treat to the audience, followed by ace violin duo Ganesh and Kumaresh's performance in Carnatic music. Besides, there was a mass band programme by the police in front of the illuminated palace.

Such musical extravaganza had been a tradition with the Dasara festivities here as the erstwhile rulers utilised the occasion to patronise eminent singers and musicians from across the country. The entire programme was sponsored by the TVS group and State Bank of Mysore.

Inaugurated on September 25 by popular Kannada actor Upendra, Yuva Dasara, introduced three years back to capture the imagination of the youths, received an overwhelming response. Youths danced with pop star Pratichee of Viva, Mumbai, and enjoyed the Bangra folk dance of Punjab by the South Zone Cultural Centre, Thanjavur.

The palace had become the piece de resistance, with the number of visitors doubling over the last few years after the priceless golden throne was thrown open for public. The throne was normally kept for public view only during the Dasara festival. Scion of the erstwhile Mysore royal family Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar had been performing traditional celebrations and private durbar inside the palace.

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