Sir,

Soon there will be Dasara festivities and as usual there will be an ‘Exhibition’ on the grounds — also known as Doddakere Maidan — just across the road of the main gate of the grand Mysore Palace . A (ritual) visit to this Exhibition is a must and compulsory for many Mysureans during the season.

But what do we get to see in this Exhibition? Small stalls selling plastic items which are generally available in Shivarampet. Linen from Tamil Nadu, stalls selling cosmetics, knives and eucalyptus oil. Then there are stalls selling balloons, popcorn, candies, halwas, dosas and idlis. A few organisations like Police, Forest etc., of course, also participate. During our younger days and in the old building, we used to buy Bison brand Notebooks and get treated to ‘China cake’ of Komala Bakery by our Health Inspector uncle!

Is this all we can ‘exhibit’ during the world famous Dasara? Having visited several world class general and themed exhibitions in Dubai, one feels that we have a long way to go and it’s difficult to accept the way this Exhibition is run. Much is also desired of the quality of ‘Dasara procession’ on the concluding day of ten-day festival. Can we ask the organisers and the authorities in charge of the ‘Exhibition’ to do some brainstorming with experts in the field and undertake a much needed overhauling? It would be a good idea to run ‘themed’ exhibitions on Education, Health & Wellness, Travel, Housing, Technology etc., outside the duration of Dasara Exhibition.

Invite other States of our country to put up their stalls and encourage them to bring in their art, artefacts and wares to this Exhibition. It would be great even if a dozen States participate to start with. Is it also possible to invite some foreign companies? The Exhibition should be educative, informative, attractive and entertaining. The visitors should not only enjoy the trip but should also be able to buy merchandise generally not available here.

– Mubasher Mirza, Bannimantap ‘C’ Layout, 12.8.2018

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