Manasagangothri Mysuru Fest-2024
It was a 3 festival to showcase Brand Mysuru filled with art, culture and culinary delights and was 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, was decorated and was illuminated in the evening ahead of the festival jointly organised by the Department of Tourism and the District Tourism Development Committee.The celebrations commenced with the opening ceremonies of Chitra Santhe, Flea Market, and the Mysuru Food Festival at 11 am on Jan. 26. Chitra Santhe unfolded 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 was 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 prioritised 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 highlighted Mysuru’s products with distinctive Geographical Indication (GI) tags. Visitors explored and purchased 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.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. Each stall was 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 was collected. However, in the event of a less encouraging response from buyers, a ‘reasonable’ adjusted amount was charged,” Savitha said.While the inaugural day events was opened on Jan 26 by Social Welfare and District In-charge Minister Dr. H.C. Mahadevappa, on Jan. 27, cultural programmes was inaugurated by Tourism Minister H.K Patil at 7 pm in the presence of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and other dignitaries.Cultural eventsThe cultural programmes featured 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’ program was 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 concluded with a live concert by singer Santosh Venky and his team.Painting competition on Jan. 26 As part of Mysuru Fest – 2024, the Department of Tourism hosted a painting competition themed ‘Our Heritage, Your Destination – Mysuru District’ on Jan 27.The event took place in front of the Department of Studies in Mathematics at the University of Mysuru campus in Manasagangothri. Manasagangothri basically promoted the art and culture of Mysore. People learnt more about it by visiting this fest and contributed to the art and culture in their own way.