Mysuru: Dr CN Manjunath to inaugurate Dasara on Chamundi Hills

MYSURU: Dr CN Manjunath, director, Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research, Bengaluru, will inaugurate the Dasara festival on October 17. Only 200 persons will be allowed for the function atop Chamundi Hills. All Dasara programmes will be telecast live.
The expert committee also recommended restricting the number of participants to 300 persons at Mysuru Palace for the Vijayadashami procession and 50 persons for all cultural events, said district minister ST Somashekar.
“I discussed the committee’s report with chief minister BS Yediyurappa. As per their recommendations, security and other arrangements will be made in consultation with officers concerned. Meanwhile, only 50 mediapersons will be permitted at events and only 25 elected representatives will be allowed to take part in the inauguration event,” he told reporters after visiting Suttur seer Shivarathri Deshikendra Swamiji.
Dr Manjunath will be the first person from the medical field to inaugurate the 10-day festival. Earlier, litterateurs, farmers and people in the social field would do the honours. Manjunath, 63, is a senior cardiologist who introduced the concept of ‘treatment first, payment next’ at the hospital where thousands of poor patients benefited. Considering his contribution to medicine and his service during the pandemic, Yediyurappa chose him for the inauguration. Incidentally, he’s the son-in-law of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda,
Live telecast
Somashekar said all Dasara programmes will be telecast live on social media platforms and television to prevent public gathering. “Lighting will be done like in previous years by CESC, but will be for just two hours. We have requested funds for the event from the finance department and are yet to finalise the budget,” he said, adding, “Precautionary measures will be taken to prevent the spread of coronavirus.”