It's honour to flag off Mysuru Dasara fest, says Infosys' Sudha

Bengaluru : Infosys Foundation chairperson Sudha Murty on Thursday said it was an honour to flag off the world famous 10-day Dasara celebrations at the 'city of palaces' Mysuru from October 10-19.

"It is an honour for any Kannada-speaking person to inaugurate the Dasara fest in Mysuru as culturally and historically, the festival dates back to over 400 years," Sudha told IANS here.

Mysuru, about 150km from Bengaluru, is the southern state's cultural capital and attracts visitors from the world over during Dasara, celebrated since 1610 during then Vijayanagara empire to mark the triumph of good over evil.

"The last time I took part throughout the 10-day fest was in 1959 as a 9-year-old girl. After 59 years, I'm privileged to be inaugurating the fest," recalled Sudha, the wife of Infosys co-founder N.R. Narayana Murthy.

Celebrated as "Naada habba" (state festival), the fest's multitude of cultural celebrations and the iconic lit-up royal Mysore Palace draw at least 10 lakh visitors from across the country and 10,000 from the world over.

A special flower show organised during the fest invites close to 4 lakh visitors each year.

The Dasara organising committee, chaired by Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, in Mysuru on Tuesday decided to invite Sudha to kick off the celebrations.

For her kind nature and philanthropy, Sudha was the "most suited" to inaugurate the fest, said the state's Culture Minister Jayamala.

Renowned Kannada poet K.S. Nissar Ahmed flagged off the last year's Dasara celebrations.

Procession by adorned elephants around the lanes of the royal palace is also one of the much-awaited sights during the fest each year.