Pics: Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)
Mangaluru, Oct 6: Former union minister, B Janardhana Poojary, who was instrumental in transforming Lord Gokarnanatha Temple into a huge temple complex that attracts thousands of visitors every day, said that this year's Mangaluru Dasara would be inaugurated by chief minister, H D Kumaraswamy, at 6 pm on October 14.
The festivities, which will be held as usual at the said temple, will culminate with a grand Dasara procession on October 19, he explained.
Addressing a press meet at the temple on Friday October 5, Poojary said that the festival will begin at 9 am on October 10, after which images of Goddess Sharada and nine forms of Goddess Durga would be installed at 11.50 am the same day. "This will be inaugurated by Karnataka Bank's managing director, Mahabaleshwara M S. Thereafter, special puja and community feast will be held every day. Cultural programmes will be organized everyday from 6 pm onward. The grand immersion procession will begin at 4 pm on October 19 from the temple premises," he stated.
Poojary said that minister, U T Khader, leader of the opposition in the state legislative council, Kota Srinivas Poojary, Rajya Sabha member, B K Hariprasad, legislators, Vedavyasa Kamath, Bhoje Gowda and Harish Kumar, city mayor, Bhaskar, and president of Billawa Federation, Jaya C Suvarna, will be among those who will be present during the Dasara inaugural.
Poojary stated that this time, in addition to a number of tableaux, the final procession will also be accompanied by a number of teams of performing arts from all the 30 districts of the state, as a result of which a culmination of all the art forms in the state would be on display at the procession. He added that Ved Kumar will organize the procession which will have over 75 art troupes and over 75 tableaux. "We have requested people to decorate the streets of the city with lights, and have got very good response," he explained.
Poojary holds back
During the press conference, Poojary told the media persons that he wanted to tell something to the media and sought their opinion as to whether he should speak out or not. After the media persons nudged him to speak out his mind, he picked up the microphone, considered about it for a couple of minutes, and then said he had decided against revealing what he wanted to say. He remained silent thereafter even though the media persons urged him to say what was in his mind.
Temple managing committee president, H S Sairam, vice president, Raghavendra Kulur, secretary, Madhava Suvarna, treasurer, Padmaraj, and several other leaders were present at the press conference.