Mysuru: Mandya district minister HC Mahadevappa on Sunday formally extended the state govt’s invitation for the Dasara festival to the Mysuru royal family.Upholding a long-standing tradition, the minister visited the residential wing of the Mysuru Palace and invited the royal family matriarch, Pramoda Devi Wadiyar, offering ‘phala tamboola’—a customary gesture involving fruits and betel leaves—while inviting her to grace the festival.The ritual of inviting the erstwhile royal family remains an integral part of the Dasara celebrations, symbolising the historic connection between the royal family and the festivities. The royal family was central to the evolution of Dasara into a globally recognised cultural event, and govt continues to honour their role through this official invitation.The minister expressed confidence that this year’s Dasara would not only showcase Mysuru’s cultural grandeur, but also attract visitors from across the globe, reinforcing the city’s reputation as a hub of heritage and tradition.Senior district officials, including Guarantee Schemes Implementation Committee vice-president Pushpa Amarnath, deputy commissioner G Lakshmikanth Reddy, police commissioner Seema Latkar, zilla panchayat CEO S Ukesh Kumar, superintendent of police N Vishnuvardhana, and additional deputy commissioner P Shivaraju were present.Meanwhile, as part of the Dasara festivities, the district administration organised a special breakfast for mahouts, kavadis, and their families at the Mysuru Palace premises on Sunday. NR constituency MLA Tanveer Sait and Chamundeshwari MLA GT Devegowda were with him.In a gesture of respect and gratitude, Mahadevappa personally served food to the mahouts who play a vital role in guiding the grand Dasara elephants. He said that mahouts and kavadis form the backbone of the Dasara elephant team, and their welfare will always remain a priority for govt.The event also featured the inauguration of a temporary school set up for the children of mahouts and kavadis, ensuring uninterrupted education during the festival season.This comes on a day the minister, with the senior officials, launched the official poster and teaser of city illumination work and a grand drone show. The programme was organised by the Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC), which has taken up the responsibility of illuminating the city once again this year. Grand drone show As part of the festivities, CESC will light up 135km of the city roads and 118 circles. Decorative replicas will be erected at prominent roads and junctions. The illumination project will use 300 kW of power, consuming around 2.6lakh units. The Dasara illumination will start from Sept 22. The drone show, one of the highlights of this year’s celebrations, promises to be bigger and better. Scheduled at Banni Mantap Parade Grounds on Sept 28 & 29, and Oct 1 and 2, the show will feature 3,000 drones—double the number used last year.
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