Puppet show by Sri Ganesha Yakshagana Gombeyata Mandali enthrals audience

Mysore/Mysuru: ‘Festivals of India,’ a seven-day cultural outreach programme organised jointly by Infosys Foundation, Bengaluru and Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (BVB), Bengaluru-Mysuru, began at Kalamandira on Hunsur Road here last evening.

Speaking after inaugurating the event, Shaji Mathew, Executive Vice-President and Head of Infosys, Mysuru, said that according to Mahatma Gandhi,  the culture of a country will be in the mind and hearts of its citizens.

Maintaining that India has the richest culture, art and literature in the world, he said that perhaps there is no other country which propagates human values and culture like India.

He said that Infosys Foundation and BVB have joined hands in organising this event with an objective of promoting our art and culture and to provide a platform for upcoming artistes. He hoped that the event would be a grand success in promoting our rich culture and tradition.

Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar of erstwhile Mysore Royal family, who was the chief guest, said that he generally used to see elderly citizens taking part in large numbers in functions at Kalamandira but in this event, youths and teenagers formed most of the audience which was heartening to note.

Complimenting the BVB for hosting this cultural event, he lauded the BVB for its key role in sustaining and promoting our heritage and culture since decades.

BVB Bengaluru Chairman K.G. Raghavan said that the event is aimed at bringing together everyone through art and culture. Pointing out that the BVB is engaged in the promotion of our rich art, culture and heritage for over eight decades, Raghavan said that BVB Founder Dr. K.M. Munshi too was one of the architects of the Indian Constitution.

BVB Mysuru Kendra Chairman and Star of Mysore Founder-Editor K.B. Ganapathy (KBG), who presided, said that pursuit of art, culture and literature makes a person ‘Purushottama,’ a better human being.

He said that there would be no meaning for our life if we do not imbibe culture and recalled the speech of the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru who said that it was important to be a good citizen with humanitarian outlook and our culture had a role to play in this.

Stating that the erstwhile Mysore Maharajas promoted art and culture in a big way, KBG observed that every art form is inspired from our Vedas, Upanishads and Epics.

“Dr. K.M. Munshi established Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in order to save and sustain our culture. The numerous books published  by BVB on Indian history and culture would help our people to pursue and practice our culture of great tradition,” KBG said.

BVB Mysuru Hon. Secretary P.S. Ganapathy was present on the dais.

Puppet Show

The inaugural function was followed by a puppet show by Sri Ganesha Yakshagana Gombeyata Mandali that enthralled the audience. The puppet show with the theme ‘Choodamani – Lankadahana’ was directed by Bhaskara Kogga Kamath.

Ahead of the inauguration, the chief guests and other dignitaries were given a Poorna Kumbha welcome accompanied by vedic hymns under the guidance of Vedic Scholar Dr. V. Bhanuprakash Sharma.

Apart from cultural performances for seven days, the event also features a book expo in which books published by BVB are for sale at a discounted price. Also, popular Kannada, Hindi and English language books, stories and novels too are available.

The week-long event concludes on Nov. 10.