Asks for notebooks instead of shawls, bouquets, garlands

Mysore/Mysuru: Joining the bandwagon of Legislators who have been shedding extravagant expenditure for a cause, Krishnaraja MLA T.S. Srivatsa has said no to garlands and bouquets and has insisted on receiving notebooks — as a goodwill gesture — to be distributed among the needy children.

It is a practice to felicitate the MLA and local elected representatives with garland and shawl while performing ‘guddali puja’ for any works or during any felicitation events. Srivatsa has sent a message to the contractors who invite him for the launch of works to make a change in regular practice. “Don’t bring any garlands or bouquets, instead bring at least 10 notebooks which I will collect and distribute among the needy children at Government schools and colleges which will also bring ‘punya’ to you,” he said.

As per the MLA’s directive, contractors have started giving notebooks to Srivatsa and on Tuesday, the new system was put into practice during the ‘guddali puja’ for laying interlock tiles at S.N. Pandit Galli on Uttaradi Mutt Road, Agrahara.

This precedent of the MLA has come in for praise from the general public who have described it as a novel decision to avoid spending hundreds of rupees on garlands, but help the educational needs of the children. Srivatsa said, “Garlands won’t last for more than 30 seconds. Also, there is no need for so many shawls. Do not bring garlands and shawls during any ceremonies. Instead, bring notebooks, which I will give away to children,” he noted.

It may be mentioned that, Chief Minister Siddharamaiah recently appealed to bring books while meeting him, desisting from the normal practice of bringing garlands and bouquets. Since then, the new practice is in force at all the public functions. In the backdrop of CM’s appeal, Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre and Health & Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundurao, MLAs Hampanagouda Badarli and Kudligi N.T. Srinivas have also followed suit.

Recently in Mysuru, Gundlupet MLA H.M. Ganesh Prasad put up a board on the gate of his house in Kuvempunagar with a similar appeal. In 2019, the then CM B.S. Yediyurappa had given a call to refrain from bringing bouquets and garlands to meet him. Even while celebrating his birthday in 2020, Yediyurappa had made an appeal against lavish spending as he was content with the good wishes of the people, terming it as a bigger gift than others.