By Ashvini Ranjan
H.K. Shivananda, IAS, former Administrator of Mysore City Corporation (MCC) during 1980, recently wrote a three-part article titled ‘Reminiscences of Mysore City and Dasara Celebrations’ in Star of Mysore.
The third part of the article appeared on Saturday, 3rd September 2022. In the article, Shivananda refers to seeing a hoarding during the 1980 Dasara celebrations, which carried the photo of late Jayachamaraja Wadiyar, the Maharaja of Mysore, at the corner of K.R. Circle. Our Mysore Maharaja died in 1974. Even though six years had passed at the time of erecting the hoarding, to us old Mysoreans, Dasara was not the same without him. The man was truly an epitome of grace !
To us he was ‘Namma Maharajru.’ However grand the Jumboo Savari processions have been since then, his absence atop the royal elephant and seated inside the shimmering Golden Howdah, the event appears incomplete.
The mention of the hoarding in the article brought back memories to me. I was at that time a small businessman and the name of my business firm was ‘Chanakya.’ It was I who had composed the message and erected the hoarding measuring 20 feet by 10 feet.
NOTE: A Timely Remembrance: The picture shows a hoarding put up on the main Dasara procession route, Sayyaji Rao Road (near the Small Clock Tower) by the proprietors of Chankaya Textile Show Room to coincide with Dasara season.
The colourful hoarding with just three simple but highly sentimental words “We Miss You” alongside a portrait of the last Maharaja of Mysore, the late Jayachamaraja Wadiyar, is presently attracting the attention of the passers-by. While the old-timers go nostalgic seeing the hoarding, the new generation seems to be raising its eyebrows.
The late Maharaja was a benevolent ruler and a familiar figure during the Dasara procession (in fact the centre of attraction) for many many years. This year with the Golden Howdah, on which the Maharaja used to sit during the procession, having been brought out for the first time in 10 years for the procession, many indeed missed the Maharaja.
The hoarding perhaps expresses not only the feelings of the person who put it up but also that of those who loved and admired the late Maharaja. — Editor
Other than the photo of the late Maharaja, there were only three words in the hoarding which read ‘WE MISS YOU.’ It was my way of paying tribute to the departed soul and expressing a feeling to a man who I admired immensely.
I was pleasantly surprised when late Krishna Vattam, then senior reporter of the Deccan Herald newspaper, interviewed me about the hoarding. I recall him telling me that in the three words WE MISS YOU, it had captured the sentiment of all Mysoreans.
When the photograph of the hoarding appeared in Star of Mysore then with a note by its Editor K.B. Ganapathy, it became a talking point in the city. I had not imagined a ubiquitous hoarding would get so much attention.
There is one interesting episode that is worth recalling. A group of Kannada protagonists approached me and insisted that I write a Kannada equivalent of ‘WE MISS YOU.’ I was in a fix. I finally agreed to heed to their wish if they could provide me a translation of the message that the hoarding carried not exceeding three words. They never came back!
Strangely, I had either lost or misplaced all the photographs of the hoarding. Where would one begin a search to find a 42 photo (42nd Street Photo was America’s favourite Photo Store started as a family owned business in 1955 and located on 42nd Street) or a newspaper clipping?
There were no computers then to digitise information like we have today. The only way to preserving old documents had to be in the physical form. I Google searched the archives of the then dailies to find out if they had subsequently digitised the archives. The effort was in vain.
Then I contacted Star of Mysore Office to find out if they could trace it out from the old issue. Other than giving them the month of 1980 Dasara, I could not be of any further help. The four decades had taken its toll on my memory.
On the 5th of September, I saw a WhatsApp message from SOM. It had the photograph of the issue dated Thursday, 23rd October 1980. There it was, the picture of the hoarding I had put up which boldly said ‘WE MISS YOU.’ I was overwhelmed.
Truly admirable Star of Mysore for preserving such old issues of your newspaper. You helped me retrieve a memorable event in the past which I thought I had lost forever. Thank You STAR.
Hello Ashvini
I was a student of engineering from Kerala studying in the sole engineering college in Mysore in 1950s. I came across many elderly people, who were very vocal in saying that they missed Nalwadi Wadiyar and his glorious Dasara and the Jumboosavari of his days. They did not think much of JC Wadiyar as his worthy successor, and said his Durbar and the Jamboosavari were a pale imitations of what happened in Nalwadi Wadiyar’s time. I believed them, witnessing Dasara of 1950s.
It was good Dasara, Durbar and jumboosavari in 1950s, Mysore was then less crowded, not many cars, people walked on footpaths, bicycled to distant destinations. The city was serene and beautiful with cool breezes. I remember going to the Palace to see JC Wadiyar climbing the throne, and when saluted the Palace lights were lit. Wonderful to see from outside standing directly opposite to the Durbar Hall on the ground inside the Palace. The procession with military bands, and the tall elephant with the golden houdha with JC Wadiyar sitting there was a sight to see. So was the Exhibition in the Medical College building then. The elders with my pointed out then how different Nalwadi Wadiyar would do. They mentioned ,the events during Nalwadi Wadiyar regime were grander. They said Maharaja Nalwadi a lean fit person who used to ride horses, well dressed and well mannered. They also said, he had no bad influence from those who worked for him, unlike JC Wadiyar. They all said they missed Nalwadi Wadiyar.
When you put up that hoarding in 1980, you were a decade too late. JC Wadiyar throughout 1960s was ill many times, going to Dusseldorf in Germany for treatment of mysterious illnesses, thanks to a German woman in his household, who wielded massive power. His final Durbar in 1970, was just a limp show. So was the procession then.
I wonder what JC Wadiyar would have done in 1980. He was not living in Mysore Palace any more, contrary to what the Journalist Gowri Sathya would have us believe. JC Wadiyar shifted to Bangalore words the end of 1960s, living in the Bangalore Palace, as it allowed him to get the medical treatment for his illnesses. It was easier for this above German woman to operate in his household and taking him to Dusseldorf for medical treatment from Bangalore. His would not have made it to 1980, because of his illnesses. He was so obese that there were no X-ray machines in India which would have accommodated him. Only Germany’s Siemens massive X -ray machines could.
when I was a student of engineering from Kerala studying in the sole engineering college in Mysore then.
I see the Dasara and procession today as a means for the politicians and administrators in power to get their 40% slice from the contracts for the event. Meaningless too to sit the Goddess in the houdha atop a puny elephant ( 1950s elephant was massive0, and politicians and administrators getting their powers displayed in the procession. All these in Mysore of 2022, massively overpopulated, polluted with vehicles of all kinds in the car loving loving city causing congestion. The Banni Mantap, the destination of this procession today, will see an extension full of housing layouts and congested .
All total nonsense.
I am a Vietnam journalist, who was asked to find out more about your “Dasara”, your embassy in our country mentions in their bulletins.
I asked a few Indian friends about the current news about your city and the pointer was this on-line newspaper. I tried to digest the information here, and read the article called: “c Welcome to ‘Grand Dasara”, and reading through that article, I am bewildered about Maharaja , the procession etc. .describing about a ruler, in a country which your foreign minster who keeps saying to us that this country of yours is the world’s largest democracy, meaning that we adopt the best democratic tradition of yours as an a fellow Asian country.
I can understand your cultural festival called”Dasara” , but am puzzled about the golden throne, its seating by some one still considering as a Maharaja, and the aforesaid article on a Maharaja of 1960s!
In my opinion, listening to your foreign secretary, you are either a democracy or not-the latter suspicion arose, the way your officlaldom deals with the visitors-more like China, conveying ” we tell you what to do, and that is it” message. Every where I went, I could hear people afriad of the police, the officials and the politicians in power-the antithesis of any democracy. There seems to be a strong feeling of “them” meaning politicians in power, officials” and ” Us” meaning the common people. Not to mention the corrutipn, which is the embedded characteristic of all Asia nations. Singapore in this respect is an exception.
It is a pity that there is no comment section open for the Article: Welcome to ‘Grand Dasara”! not a sign of a mature journalism either in this: “democracy”
What Mysoreans really needed was the successor to the great Nalwadi Wadiyar to be like him – as intelligent, as hardworking, as enterprising and as effective . His successor Jayacharaja Wadiyar had none of the abve qualities, either as a Maharaja from 1940-47, Rajapramukh from 1947-1956 and as a governor from 1956-1964. Surrounded himself with unsavoury assistants who introduced him to habits and life which would have shoked Nalwadi Wadiyar. All the good things like Music compositions etc.. were the works of a good set of musicians he employed and who composed Kritis for him.
He was growing fat and fat, and the real reasongiven by the Palace officlas in confidence to friends was that in his last Durbar in 1969, he was so obese, and was so much suffering from diseases that was kept confidential that he found it difficult to sit on the throne for 3 hours. There after, he simply shifted to Bangalore Palace out of the gaze of Mysoreans to nurse his diesease-all of which he brought upon to himself.
He would hvave hardly able to walk, let alone climb steps to the golden houdha atop the elephant.
He was disappointing as a successor to the greatest Wadiyar, Nalwadi , the RajaRishi . Achieved absolutely nothing in his lifetime.
@Ashvini, the deluded person , might have missed him, but those who worked under Nalwadi Wadiyar in the Palace, and Mysoreans who lived and admired during those of Nalwadi, did not. His son S D Wadiyar was much much worse.
I am SARASWATHI VATTAM, D/o Late Krishna Vattam from California . It’s a beautiful article where you have brought out your memories. Happy that you remember my dearest father too. Thank you. Mr Nagaraja Rao for forwarding the link. 🙏🙏🙏
Hello
Should you have said:I am SARASWATHI VATTAM, from California ,D/o Late Krishna Vattam?
You have Kanye West there and Kim Kardashian , who you treat as royals!
Because by the time Your father was reporting in Mysore-mostly politics and student demos etc.. The real Maharaja, Nalawadi Krishnaraja Wadiyarhad long gone. That is he gist of what other posters posted. JC Wadiyar did nothing , achieved nothing and simply continued what his great uncle set up. He had already surrounded himself with unsavoury assistants, who led him astray. The boarding in question was nonsense any way, as people moved on. Only Devaraje Urs, the corrupt CM, revived Dasarato create contracts and pocket aa slice of money-well familair in the US politics!
@Mann
You forgot to mention the real royal three-Oprah Winfrey, the stupid talktative host who made billions by talking nonsense with her guests living in a $100million mansion with hectares of land. You also forgot the Hollywood actors like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, the mad woman, and their lives’ saga! There is always Kamala Harris! Expensive place, pollution and massive crime. Hence, rich Americans these days emigrate to New Zea
land, and parts of Europe to escape the gun -related crimes, in schools
I knew Krishna Vattam ,in the sense, he was a quiet person for a journalist, used his bicycle to travel in the city to collect news. Mysore of those days, did not produce much news. Deccan Herald, the paper to which he reported did not have much circulation. His style was to produce short paragraph of news-often scribbled the information on a folded sheet of paper to report. I do not recollect him writing lengthy articles for example about Dasara and Durbar.