• Mysore Varsity to name new ‘Centre for Higher Studies’ at the foot of Chamundi Hill after Jayachamaraja Wadiyar
• Jayachamarajendra Art Gallery thrown open for visitors

Mysuru: The magnificent Durbar Hall of the Mysore Palace that witnesses Private Durbar during annual Dasara played host to another important event this morning — Birth Centenary celebrations of the last ruler of Mysore State Jayachamaraja Wadiyar.

A host of invitees, who’s who of the royal family including Pramoda Devi Wadiyar, wife of late Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar, Jayachamaraja Wadiyar’s daughters Kamakshi Devi and Indrakshi Devi attended the event. The celebration was organised by Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar (SDNR Wadiyar) Foundation.

The Centenary Celebrations will be organised at Bangalore Palace on July 20. Though the State Government had announced that the Government will officially organise the Centenary celebrations, the dates have not yet been announced. Probably due to the uncertainty about the survival of the Congress-JD(S) coalition Government, the Centenary Celebrations have been put on the backburner. 

Also, due to the volatile situation in the State Capital, Governor Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala, who was supposed to inaugurate the Centenary Celebrations today, stayed away from the event. However, he had sent his best wishes for the event.

In the absence of the Governor, the celebration at the Durbar Hall was inaugurated by Gopalkrishna Devdas Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi. 

In her introductory remarks, Pramoda Devi Wadiyar announced that the sprawling 23-acre land at the foot of Chamundi Hill that was earlier handed over to the University of Mysore will be developed to host “Jayachamaraja Wadiyar Centre of Learning.”  

Pramoda Devi Wadiyar said that her father-in-law was never power-hungry and had voluntarily consented to merge the Princely State of Mysore with the Republic of India in 1950. She said that the Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar Foundation had completed the renovation of Jaganmohan Palace and the Jayachamarajendra Art Gallery and had transformed them into world-class galleries. 

In his inaugural address, Gopalkrishna Gandhi said that decorative names like ‘His Highness’ or ‘Her Highness’ holds no value in a democratic setup. “We no longer use such titles because the Constitution grants equal rights and privileges to all citizens. But people of this region still continue to address royal family members as ‘His Highness’ or ‘Her Highness’ due to the love towards them,” he said. 

“Wadiyars have contributed immensely to the land and people have them close to their hearts. Royalty is embedded in people’s heart as the rulers have done selfless work for the society and have strived for the welfare of the people,” he opined. 

On the occasion, Akashavani authorities presented a CD that contains all the 94 compositions of Jayachamaraja Wadiyar rendered in musical format that were broadcast by All India Radio. 

Awards were presented to nine achievers in various fields in which Sri JC Wadiyar was interested and associated with like in Sanskrit, Kannada, Wildlife, Agriculture (farmer), Karnatak Music, Sports, Cinema and outstanding contribution to society. The recipients were Prof. A. L. Shivarudrappa (Philosophy), B.N.S. Iyengar (Yoga), Prof. M.A. Lakshmi Thathachar (Sanskrit), Dr. T.V. Venkatachala Shastry (Kannada), B. Saroja Devi (Cinema), Sudha Murty (Outstanding contribution to society), Syed Ghani Khan (Agriculture/Farming), Ajai Desai (Wildlife) and Pranavi Urs (Promising sports personality: Golf).