Mysore/Mysuru: Over a decade-long pending demand of fans of late Sandalwood actor Sahasa Simha Dr. Vishnuvardhan is all set to become a reality, with CM Basavaraj Bommai scheduled to inaugurate the Memorial of the actor at Halalu (Haalaalu) village opposite Udbur Gate on Mysuru-H.D. Kote Road in Mysuru taluk on Sunday (Jan. 29) at 11 am.
Former CM B.S. Yediyurappa is the special invitee for the inaugural of the Memorial, in the presence of District Minister S.T. Somashekar and actress Dr. Bharathi Vishnuvardhan. MLA G.T. Devegowda will preside. Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha, Chamarajanagar MP V. Sreenivasa Prasad and Mandya MP and actress Sumalatha Ambarish will be the chief guests.
About the Memorial
The Vishnu Memorial has been built at an estimated cost of Rs. 11 crore, on three acres of total five acres of land sanctioned by the Government to Dr. Vishnuvardhan Pratishtana and Department of Information and Public Relations.
The Memorial includes a photo gallery comprising 600 photos depicting the life history of Vishnu as he was popular among his fans, displayed along with posters of his films. The seven foot tall statue of the actor sculpted in black stone erected on a specially built pedestal built on the ashes of the actor spread beneath is the main attraction.
To make the Memorial a fitting tribute to the most popular actor who had enacted various roles in over 220 films and still continues to inspire many budding actors, a 200-seat capacity auditorium has also been built, suitable to host film and theatre festivals and acting workshops. It also has two rooms and canteen, covered by a garden.
FTII branch
Besides, it has been proposed to set up a branch of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, here to train the aspirants in the realm. It will be managed by Dr. Vishnuvardhan Pratishtana, which is headed by the CM as its President, with late actor’s wife Bharathi Vishnuvardhan, Officers of Department of Information and Public Relations, Department of Tourism and Mysuru District Administration as its Members.
Bharathi Vishnuvardhan, who came to the city yesterday evening along with her daughter Keerthi Vardhan, son-in-law and actor Anirudh, grandson Jeshta Vardhan and others, visited the Memorial.
DC inspects
Deputy Commissioner Dr. K.V. Rajendra, who inspected the Memorial yesterday, directed the officers to make foolproof arrangements in view of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s visit to inaugurate it.
Suitable parking arrangements must be made for the vehicles of VIPs and public alike, along with drinking water and food. It is incorrect to make last minute preparations and hence all the preparations must be made before hand without giving room for any confusions, DC told the Officers.
Additional Superintendent of Police Dr. B.N. Nandini, Member-Secretary of Dr. Vishnuvardhan Pratishthana B.N. Vijayanand and other officers were present during the Mysuru DC’s visit.
Grand procession
A grand procession of portrait of late actor Dr. Vishnuvardhan in a palanquin (pallaki) will be taken out from Ramaswamy Circle tomorrow (Jan. 29) at 9.30 am marking the inauguration of Vishnu Memorial.
The procession organised by Dr. Vishnu Sena Samithi-Mysuru Unit and led by Samithi State President M. Srinivas will pass through Chamaraja Double Road, Siddappa Circle, Nanjumalige Circle, NIE Road and will reach Vishnu Memorial site. Folk troupes, bikes, autos and thousands of Vishnu fans will take part in the procession.
Some people might find my comments offending but I feel we need to get over this hero worship of film actors. If an actor has done good work in films then he/she surely needs to appreciated and rewarded. But building statues and memorials is not necessary.
Talking about Puneeth Raj Kumar’s demise, I think never before has an actor’s death been so opportunistically exploited by various people as his.
Hello @Arun
India is full of the silly hero worship-very tall statue of Sirdar Patel, Chennai seafront beach Vivekananda littered with the mausoleums of the state chief ministers, Vivekananda memorials although he lived long time ago, and the best memorial is follow the path he preached and practiced etc..
Now, there is a memorial planned to honour the novelist Triveni, 60 years after her death- who I met in her novel-writing days. She would have been shocked and abhorred by a memorial museum for her; she wanted people to understand the social evils related to women she wrote about and learn from it. If anything the women suffer more in these decades, from dowry demands, discrimination-Bommai government has no identifiable woman as a minister holding important portfolio.
My friends in Mysore, fearful of gold chain snatching, leave them at home. Even then, some of them were terrorised when motor cycle riding gold chain snatching attempted to put their hands on heir neckless, finding no gold chain, angry scratched their necks wounding them severely. No arrests and the incidences are multiplying.
For Bommai, it is good for election.
Plan is ahead to erect a war memorial too , with rusty old tanks parked around it! Instead, the best memorial would have been to get back the territories India lost to China 2/3 years ago with a clash, and recently too , which Modi’s government hid it from the media.
Soon, Mysore and its nearby areas will see memorials erected for actors and just about any one, when there is enough collection of funds. Brace for more statues, more memorials of kinds.
CM- This is time and money waste.( Even if you tell it near his ears – he cannot hear!)