Chitra Santhe, Flea Market, Food Fest opens tomorrow; painting competition on Jan. 27

Mysore/Mysuru: Final preparations are underway for the three-day grand Mysuru Fest 2024. It will be a festival to showcase Brand Mysuru filled with art, culture and culinary delights and scheduled to take place from Jan. 26 to Jan. 28 at the University of Mysore Open Air Theatre in Manasagangothri.

The University campus, especially from the Kuvempu Statue entrance gate till the Clock Tower and the road that leads to the Open Air Theatre, is being decorated and will be illuminated in the evening ahead of the festival jointly organised by the Department of Tourism and the District Tourism Development Committee.

The celebrations commence with the opening ceremonies of Chitra Santhe, Flea Market, and the Mysuru Food Festival at 11 am on Jan. 26. Chitra Santhe will unfold along both sides of the road leading to the Clock Tower, creating a vibrant artistic ambiance.

The open ground near the Clock Tower is transforming into a lively venue for the Food Festival and Flea Market. German Tent stalls are being set up on both sides of the road, under the comforting shade of trees, leading to the Open Air Theatre.

Local products priority

The stalls at the event prioritise the sale of locally crafted items from Mysuru, featuring a diverse range of handicrafts, specialty foods, artworks from small-scale industries, baskets woven from locally sourced materials and unique home decor items.

Furthermore, the event highlights Mysuru’s products with distinctive Geographical Indication (GI) tags. Visitors can explore and purchase items such as Mysore Betel Leaf, Mysore Jasmine, Mysore Paintings, Mysore Sandal Soap, Nanjangud Banana, Mysore Mallige (Jasmine), Mysore Silk Sarees, Mysore Agarbathi (Incense Sticks), Mysore Rosewood Inlay and Mysore Sandalwood Oil.

This morning, Tourism Department Joint Director M.K. Savitha and Research Officer of Karnataka State Tribal Research Institute (KSTRI) H.S. Bindiya and others visited the spot and took stock of the preparations. Over 50 volunteers have been appointed for the smooth conduct of the festival.

Daily fee of Rs. 5,000

Each stall will be charged a daily fee of Rs. 5,000. For the entire three-day duration, stallholders are required to pay a total of Rs. 15,000. Currently, an initial payment of Rs. 5,000 has been collected from each stall.

“If the sales prove to be lucrative over the three days, the full amount of Rs. 15,000 will be collected. However, in the event of a less encouraging response from buyers, a ‘reasonable’ adjusted amount will be charged,” Savitha said.

While the inaugural day events will be opened on Jan. 26 by Social Welfare and District In-charge Minister Dr. H.C. Mahadevappa, on Jan. 27, cultural programmes will be inaugurated by Tourism Minister H.K. Patil at 7 pm in the presence of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and other dignitaries.

Cultural events

The cultural programmes feature violin fusion, ‘chande’ beats, and a dance performance by ‘Chemmeen Band’ between 5 pm and 7 pm, followed by a music concert featuring singers Prithvi and Hamsika Iyer and composer Manikanth Kadri from 8 pm to 10 pm.

On Jan. 28, a ‘Comedy Durbar’ programme will be presented between 6 pm and 8 pm by artistes Hiremagaluru Kannan, Sudha Baragur, Dundiraj, ‘Mukhyamantri’ Chandru, ‘Mimicry’ Gopi, ‘Mimicry’ Dayanand, Prof. M. Krishnegowda, M.S. Narasimhamurthy, Richard Louis and other artistes of Siri Kannada channel. The festival will conclude with a live concert by singer Santosh Venky and his team.

Painting competition on Jan. 27

As part of Mysuru Fest – 2024, the Department of Tourism is hosting a painting competition themed ‘Our Heritage, Your Destination – Mysuru District’ on Jan 27.

The event will take place in front of the Department of Studies in Mathematics at the University of Mysuru campus in Manasagangothri. Interested participants can submit their applications by visiting https://forms.gle/BbWd JUzv1uFAeuXb8

Students in the 8th to 12th grades are eligible to participate and spot registration is also available. Participants are required to carry their ID cards issued by their educational institutions.

The competition is scheduled for 90 minutes, from 9.30 am to 11 am. The organisers have announced bicycles and trophies as prizes for the top three winners.

For additional details, interested individuals can follow the Tourism Department’s Facebook and Instagram pages at visit_mysuru or contact 74115-64510, according to a press release from Tourism Department Assistant Director T.K. Harish.