Winter is here and amidst the chill weather where people are seen warming themselves up with fireplaces at every nook and corner of the city, a Winter Festival is being held to spread a feeling of warmth. The Festival will kick off from Tuesday, Dec. 24 and will end on Jan. 2. This is the fourth edition of the Winter Festival and its main aim is to attract tourists from far and wide. By organising such a festival, the District Administration is telling the tourists why go places when the best is available in Mysuru to spend Christmas and New Year.

The authorities are spending nearly Rs. 70 lakh towards the festival which will have winter flower show at Mysore Palace, music and dance performances, photo exhibition, cake festival, bird festival, para-motoring and splendid display of fireworks at Mysore Palace to ring in the New Year. This Weekend Star Supplement gives a glimpse of the activities that are being organised as part of the 2019 Winter Festival.

Scent of a Flower: Time for lively (lovely) moments at Palace

On an average, the Mysore Palace gets up to 10,000 to 15,000 tourists daily and during holidays. During December, the number increases to 25,000 to 30,000. Annually, the Palace attracts more than 30 to 35 lakh domestic and international tourists.

The star attraction of this year’s Winter Festival event is the Flower Show inside Mysore Palace premises, where a replica of Bangalore Palace is being made with 4 lakh flowers. An array of flowers, including chrysanthemum, orchids, roses, dahlia, petunia and celosia, will be used to create replicas of ISRO’s satellite launch, Shivakumara Swamiji, Jayachamaraja Wadiyar sitting on the golden throne, Swami Vivekananda’s portrait, while ping pongs will be used to create models of Indian Navy, Army and Air Force units.

The flower show will feature flowers arranged artistically apart from 32 species of flower plants. The old Wooden Palace of Mysuru, which was destroyed in a fire in the 1890s, will be replicated using a variety of flowers. The floral replica of Bangalore Palace will be 45 ft. in length, 10 ft. in breadth and 20 ft. in height.

The flower show will also feature an elephant-drawn cart besides two giant models of elephants made of flowers. The Horticulture Department will depict the achievements of ISRO by creating a few models of rockets and space missions made entirely of flowers. The floral arrangements will be overhauled with new flowers to ensure that the exhibits remain fresh.

As it is the centenary year of the last Maharaja, Jayachamaraja Wadiyar, the authorities will pay tributes to him by creating a flower model of the king seated on the throne. Apart from this, statues of Swami Vivekananda, late Siddaganga seer Sri Shivakumara Swamiji, and the Private Durbar of the Wadiyars will be other attractions.

The organisers said the flower arrangement depicting the Private Durbar hall will be a selfie zone for the visitors and is expected to be popular. Model of Shivalinga constructed with lemons and Bilva leaves and a number of desert animals and birds are some of the other attractions.

At the entrance of Varahaswamy Temple, a 27×13 feet Vertical Garden using 10,000 Petunia flowers will be built. A number of medicinal plants including Aloe Vera, Tulsi and Betel leaf saplings would be distributed to visitors at the exit point.

Depicting Mysore of yore: A photo expo

This year’s Winter Festival will feature a photo exhibition on the Palace premises depicting the Mysuru of yesteryear. There will be black-and-white photographs of the maharajas, Dasara, and visit of eminent personalities to the city that are of historical importance.

These photographs will be procured from the Palace archives and displayed during the festival. Some of the photographs will also depict the important public places and buildings of Mysuru and their surroundings as it existed in the 1940s and 1950s.  

Mellifluous Music to enthrall audience

There will be Palace illumination daily from 7 pm to 8.30 pm while classical music featuring the compositions of Jayachamaraja Wadiyar will be played in the backdrop at the flower show.

From Dec. 28 to 30, there will be cultural programmes on the Palace premises. There will be a fusion show by playback singer M.D. Pallavi and party on Dec. 28 from 7.15 pm to 9.15 pm.

 On Dec. 29, there will be musical performance by various groups from 7 pm to 9 pm. It will be titled Harshadhwani Sangeetha Sanje where singer Sree Harsha and team from Kannada Kogile fame will perform. They include Akhila Pajimannu, Sharadhi Patel, Suraksha Das and Anantharaj Mistry.

On Dec. 30, about 110 artists from Sri Raghuleela Chandra Mandira will present Srinivasa Kalyana, a classical dance and music feature from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The Mysuru Police Band will take centre stage on Dec. 31 and perform from 11 pm to midnight after which the fireworks will commence. Eco-friendly, soundless and colourful fire-works will be displayed from 12 am to 12.15 am in front of the Palace.

First-ever Christmas Carnival begins today

The first-ever two-day Christmas carnival has begun today. It is being held between 11 am and 8 pm at St Philomena’s Church. Co-hosted by HumanWings Foundation, this carnival will see live performances from the likes of Western Carols to Classical carols. There are over 100 stalls at the event with over 50 stalls dedicated to food, cakes, pastries and other delicacies.

The event is dedicated to fun and frolic where everyone takes the centre-stage for entertainment that spans across carols, dance, artworks, flea market and a wide variety of other activities including face painting, comedy and magic shows, juggling, cycle stunts and skating. Over 18 churches, bakeries, commercial establishments and business houses are participating.  This is the first-of-its kind event happening inside the Church. Entry is free.

For more information, contact: 9886055878/ 9148757445.

Forum Mall makes Holiday Wishes come true

Forum Mall, Mysuru, is creating another memorable experience for shoppers by making wishes come true through Make a Wish Campaign. Until Jan. 10, 2020, customers  will have the chance to win their wish from Make A Wish Box. 20 lucky winners will be selected, with gifts worth up to 1 lakh given away weekly. Customers who shop for Rs. 3,000 or more stand a chance to win a Maruti Suzuki Alto, Queen Size Bed, Home Accessories, assured Gifts and many more exciting prizes. With all of this and more, the holiday season at Forum Mall is sure to delight and amaze, bringing families, friends and loved ones together to share in the seasonal spirit, creating great moments for everyone, every day.

Soar like an eagle on a Paramotor

If you have always looked up at the sky and wished you can fly like a bird, soar like an eagle, now is your chance make it a real live the dream, soar like an eagle.

With intent to offer an opportunity for the locals and the tourists to get a glimpse of the city from the bird’s eye view, a Paramotor ride is being organised as part of the Winter Festival.

A Paramotor consists of a frame that combines the motor, propeller, harness (with integrated seats) and cage. It provides two attachment points for the risers of a paraglider wing that allows for a powered flight for 2 fliers. (Pilot + 1)

Para motoring is one of the popular aero sports in India. It is also known as powered paragliding. This is a recreational activity where the participant sits on a trike (three wheel cage) along with the pilot and flies.

Bangalore Aviation and Sports Enterprise (BASE) will be conducting this adventure ride from Dec. 24 to 31 at Maharaja’s College Cricket Grounds for the people to experience the adrenaline rush. Rs. 2,000 has been fixed as fee per person. This thrilling air sport can be perfect for adventure lovers. All the safety gears required for the activity will be provided.

Seeing them fly: Two days with birds

To provide an opportunity for people to relish wondrous sights of resident and migratory birds, the District Administration, in association with Tourism Department, Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Garden, Forest Department and Regional Museum of Natural History (RMNH), has organised `Mysuru Bird Festival’ on Dec. 28 and 29. This is the second edition of the event and is being continued after a good response received last year.

The two-day bird festival which is being organised as part of the Mysuru Winter Festival will make people and bird watchers and bird lovers familiarise with a diverse variety of bird species. Experts in the field are invited for the festival to create awareness among the participants on the rich biodiversity.

Registration fee will be Rs.300 per participant (limited to first 100 entries) that includes breakfast, lunch, tea on Dec.28 on Dec.29 and also local transportation to birding sites. It does not include transportation to Mysuru and accommodation in Mysuru.

Participants will be taken out to Kamanahundi Kere, Rayanakere, Varakodu Forest, Giribetta Kere, Hebbal Lake and Thippayyanakere and other wetlands where different species of birds are found. Birding sites are all around 30 minutes distance from the city, and covers wetlands and scrub/ degraded forest.

In addition to the bird watching, technical session will also be held for the participants.

Bird expert Dr. S Subramanya, Dr. Sameer Agnihotri, Anagha and Dr. Abhijith APC will be the resource person of the technical sessions who will speak about diverse topics including bird conservation, nocturnal birds of Karnataka. Register at www.mysorezoo.info/birdfestival

Slurrp ! Cake Festival an icing for Winter Festival

Cakes — colourful and soft — are a treat not just for the taste buds, but for the eyes as well. And this Christmas-New Year season, the treat is getting better. City bakeries and sweet shops will participate in the ‘Cake Festival 2019,’ to be held at Rajendra Kalamandira on Ramanuja Road from Dec. 27 to 29.

Many baked goodies and customised cakes will be kept on display to make the winter festival more colourful and tastier too. The festival will be held from 8 am to 10 pm and apart from savouring cakes and pastries, visitors can taste foods available during winter season. Preference will be given to hotels, bakeries and restaurants that prepare winter dishes. The event aims to introduce new varieties of cakes for customers. A number of bakeries will present their special cakes and other products at the festival. The Department of Food and Civil supplies has been organising cake festivals since 2013.

The cake festival will be an ideal platform to display the finest cakes in the city. He said all types of cakes including plum cakes, cream cakes, Pastries and hot cakes will be displayed at the event and awards will be distributed to best ones.

getting the Mix right It is the joyous cake-mixing ceremony that heralds the Christmas season. The history of this amazing tradition that takes place weeks before the Christmas Festival goes back to centuries ago. The elaborate ingredients that are required to bake the perfect plum cake are put together and mixed well in large quantities. Bottles of high-quality liquor, wine and honey are poured over dried fruits, nuts, powdered grains, fresh fruits and spices and are mixed well using hands to give the cakes their amazing taste and mesmerising aroma. Cake-mixing has become an inseparable part of our culture and our Christmas celebrations. It is a harbinger of good tidings and happiness. Originally a family affair, since many years, cake-mixing has become a social event with hotels spreading camaraderie and goodwill. Here we feature cake-mixing events at select locations in Mysuru city.

Frosting: A unique Cake Exhibition and Thailand Delicacy Food Festival titled ‘The Taste of Thai’ is on at Frosting in V.V. Mohalla. On display are exquisite cakes that are not only visually enchanting but a delightful experience for the taste-buds too. Each and every scrumptious cake displayed by the chefs of Frosting are sheer masterpieces. The Cake Show, in its third edition, features cakes in unheard-of designs and shapes. Visit this Cafe before Dec. 30 lest you regret later!

Hotel Southern Star: The Annual Christmas cake-mixing ceremony was held at the Hotel on Vinoba Road in city recently. Varieties of dry fruits and nuts — Cashew 15 kgs, pistachios 10 kgs, dates 15 kgs, almond 10 kgs, black currant 5 kgs, orange peel 8 kgs, apricot 15 kgs, walnuts 10 kgs, figs 10 kgs, black raisins 10 kgs, raisins 10 kgs, ginger peel 5 kgs — with hand-picked wines, other alcoholic beverages and spices were mixed by the Hotel Management team, staff and in-House guests symbolising the onset of Xmas season. General Manager Naresh Kumar Tuteja, Executive Chef P.S. Abu Backer and others were present.

St. Philomena’s College:The Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management of St. Philomena’s College (Autonomous) in Bannimantap too had organised cake-mixing ceremony. A spread of 400 kgs of dry fruits including cashew nuts, almonds, dates, cherries, raisins, ginger peel, orange peel, lemon rind and tutti fruit were heaped on the table to make a mixture to bake 1,500- kg cake for Christmas. Bakery Division Head C.V. Ranjith, Rector Fr. Barnard Prakash Barnis, Principal Dr. Ruth Shantha Kumari, PG Studies and Research Centre Director Prof. Othbert Pinto, Vice Rector Fr. Maria Xavier, Vice-Principal Prof. Sanjay Nair, other faculties and students were present.

Radisson Blu Plaza:This Hotel on M.G. Road in city ushered in the Christmas excitement with a fun-filled cake-mixing ceremony recently. The Hotel brought together the who’s who of the community, resident guests and staff for the event. A 24-ft. long steel table holding the myriad ingredients for the cake was unveiled. Arranged on it, in vibrant shapes of stars and trees, were 50 kgs of chopped, grated and sliced dried fruits — cherries, dates and plums. The participants mixed together the ingredients into a sugary sweet batter, which will be fermented  before the cake is baked and readied for distribution. Director of Sales S. Vijay Selvaraj and others were present.

Hotel Grand Mercure:Christmas is a time for giving and Grand Mercure, Sayyaji Rao Road, invited children from Kaliyuva Mane NGO on Dec.14 for a special tree lighting ceremony and were asked to write and stick the name of the gift they wish for on the tree. This event was also promoted in Mall of Mysore with a flash mob and a baking workshop specially for kids by the chef on Dec.15. While celebrating the spirit of the season, Grand Mercure is inviting everyone to support with any gifts possible to brighten the day of underprivileged children from the city.