Mysuru; More than 26 folk and cultural troupes performed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s road show in the city on Apr. 30, creating an electrifying atmosphere.

The political event where the PM had come to seek votes for BJP candidates of Mysuru and to enthuse the party workers to go to people on the development plank, turned into a cultural feast, adding colour to the evening. The spectacle resembled the Dasara Jumboo Savari procession.

While during the Dasara procession, people hail the Golden Howdah-carrying elephant and the Goddess Chamundeshwari seated inside the Howdah, during the road show, the crowd hailed PM Modi and showered flower petals on him to which the PM responded with similar gusto.

The highlight of the evening was the Nadaswara performance by over 100 musicians at the Gun House Circle. This performance set the tone for the road show and as the music reverberated through the surroundings, a festive atmosphere prevailed.

There were artistes presenting Dollu Kunita, Puja Kunita, Saxophone, Nagari Kunita, Somana Kunita, Veerabhadra Kunita and Kamsale. Many men and women wore dresses representing Jagajyothi Basavanna, Kittur Rani Chennamma, Akkamahadevi, Onake Obavva, Madakari Nayaka and Nada Prabhu Kempegowda and these outfits reflected the cultural ethos of the land.

A group of ladies had teamed up where one of them dressed up as PM Modi with his trade-mark kurta-pyjama, saffron jacket, angavastram and the Mysore Peta, another one sporting the outfit of Bharat Mata holding the Indian Tricolour and the remaining in the group, wearing similar dresses, dancing around them.

A group of women, including Bharatanatyam dancers, cultural troupes and women in traditional Kodava attire moved ahead of the procession. While artistes performed Bharatanatyam at Gun House Circle, artistes of the Chilipili Gombe team performed near Devaraja Market. The Dollu Kunita team performed near K.R. Hospital junction.

I had to get down from PM Modi’s open vehicle four times to ensure that the SPG sleuths did not disperse the Mysore Peta-wearing party workers from the front of the procession. The SPG had asked them to move away in the name of security. Also, the SPG and security forces were holding ropes along the route to prevent the entry of people. This did not make sense as there was already a barricade to prevent crowd spillover. The act of holding ropes by the side was creating confusion.

—Pratap Simha, MP