Hordes of tourists have come and gone after delighting themselves with the glitz and glamour marking the just-concluded, nay celebrated, Navaratri festival dating back to ancient times more popularly known as Dasara of four centuries vintage. The administration has deservedly earned unalloyed praise for organising the show free from any disturbing incidents, except for some minor glitches. The workforce of the civic body as well as the Police Department seem to stand out for their mite in keeping the city environs clean and orderly to a great extent. The task of wrapping up and restoring city’s pre-festival ambience, not to forget the plethora of problems bugging its citizens, is sure to expose the unpreparedness of both administration and the residents of the city to halt the transformation of magnificent Mysore to metamorphosed Mysuru as it were. The elderly in the city, who can recollect the beginning days of the transformation marked by vanishing of monarchy in the erstwhile Princely State can be heard murmuring the words of lament about the change, praising good old days.

Taking stock of the plus and minus sides of decking up the city with a coat of paint and ornamental lights covering the entire length and breadth of the city, primarily to promote tourism in the region can be fascinating exercise if done objectively without yielding to emotion. In this context, the verdict that the spiritual orientation, particularly in public domain, got sidelined during the festival cannot be ignored. However, the tradition-bound families of the city deserve to be complimented for upholding the time-honoured customs special to the festival.

The gradually dying voice of some sections of society bemoaning the disappearance of both the slow pace of life that used to be the brand as it were of Mysore of past and the now gone iconic spots around the city is bound to be silenced for good in days not too far ahead. If they didn’t foresee the impact of unchecked influx of people into the city, particularly those endowed with superior acumen for commerce and business as well as command over capital, the past generations have to accept that they preferred to be mere passive witness to the phenomenon of metamorphosis of Mysore to Mysuru, not merely in name but also its image as a city of enduring culture.

While it is unrewarding to be living in the past, it is prudent to welcome the ongoing change of public life marked by jazzy attires, glitzy cars, smart phones, pizza, chats, high-rise dwellings and whatever without grumbling and make Mysuru also magnificent. The festival of lights is coming soon. Let there be noise-free celebration.