Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq inaugurates Mysuru Dasara amid controversy

Mysuru: Amid objections from some quarters, International Booker Prize-winning author Banu Mushtaq inaugurated the Mysuru Dasara festival on Monday, marking the start of 11 days of vibrant cultural and traditional celebrations across the city.

Mushtaq performed the inaugural ritual during the auspicious ‘Vrushchika Lagna’, showering flowers on the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari, the presiding deity of Mysuru, atop the Chamundi Hills. The ceremony was accompanied by Vedic hymns chanted by temple priests, with Mushtaq joined by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, several state ministers and other dignitaries.

Before the official inauguration, Mushtaq, the CM and other officials visited the Chamundeshwari temple to offer prayers to the “Naada Devate” (state deity).
Viral video fuels objections; Mushtaq says remarks distorted

The invitation to Mushtaq had drawn objections from certain quarters, including BJP leaders, following a viral video in which she reportedly questioned worshipping the Kannada language as “Goddess Bhuvaneshwari”, claiming it excluded people like her. The Supreme Court, however, dismissed a plea challenging the Karnataka High Court’s decision to uphold the government’s invitation. Mushtaq has maintained that her previous statements were taken out of context and distorted online.

Celebrated as the state festival or Nada Habba, the 11-day Dasara, also known as Sharan Navaratri, is set to be a grand showcase of Karnataka’s cultural richness, royal heritage, and folk traditions. Mysuru’s palaces, streets, circles, and public buildings will be illuminated in the customary “Deepalankaara” lighting.

Mysuru Dasara to showcase cultural extravaganza and ‘Jamboo Savaari’
The festival will feature a variety of events, including the food mela, flower show, cultural programmes, Farmers’ Dasara, Women’s Dasara, Yuva Dasara, children’s activities and poetry recitals. The highlight remains the famous Jamboo Savaari, a procession of caparisoned elephants carrying Goddess Chamundeshwari’s idol in a golden Howdah on Vijayadashami, scheduled this year for October 2. Other attractions include the Air Show, Torch Light Parade and Mysuru Dasara Exhibition.

During the festival, households across Mysuru and surrounding areas will participate in traditional Navaratri rituals, including Gombe Habba (arrangement of dolls), Saraswati Pooja, Ayudha Pooja, and Durga Pooja.

The Mysuru royal family will observe the celebrations at the palace according to long-standing traditions. Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, scion of the erstwhile Wadiyar dynasty, will conduct the Khasagi Durbar (private durbar) on the golden throne amid Vedic chants.

Dasara traces its origins to the Vijayanagar Empire and was continued by the Wadiyars of Mysuru. The festival was first held in Mysuru in 1610 under Raja Wadiyar I. After the privy purse was abolished in 1971, Dasara became a private affair of the royal family until its revival in 1975 by then-Chief Minister D Devaraja Urs, a tradition maintained by the state government ever since.

Officials have put in place elaborate security and crowd management measures to ensure smooth celebrations this year.