The last day of Navaratri is Vijayadashmi, anyone who has been associated with Mysore will agree how much of pride Mysoreans take in celebrating Dasara (Dushera) and playing gracious hosts to visitors from every corner of the globe. Dasara in Mysore is something worth being a part of and soaking in the cultural grandeur of the state sponsored celebrations. The streets are cleaned and swept (even otherwise, Mysore is the second cleanest city in the country), bright and colorful lights lining its small but historic streets. Old timers ruefully comparing Dasara of 'their' time with the present day celebrations. The key change in the last few decades being that of the King of Mysore being replaced by the portrait of godess Chamundeshwari on the howdah that the royal elephant carries. The king himself used to be paraded on Vijayadashmi day. The procession is almost always well attended with people thronging the street sides along the route. The 3-4 hour procession majestically culminates with a pooja at Bannimantap which is the abode of many Banni/Shami trees. This is followed by a torch light parade by the forces and then some breathtaking fireworks adoring the dark october sky. At home, Dasara meant a display of all the dolls in the traditional Mysore way usually based on themes (Ramayana, Dashavatar,cricket match, Rajasthani and Gujarati dolls)
The Dasara celebrations ,the Mysore way is now 400 years old but to many of us the legacy is still young and hopefully will never grow old. Its the one time of the year when every Mysorean is excited automatically, something like a part of your life which grows with you and the spirit increases every year. 30+ years later, i am not bored of it. As kids, Dasara in Mysore meant gearing up for the various celebrations and events that are held in the city.And if you were a little well connected to the city administration,police,horticulture department through friends,relatives and neighbors and et al meant that free passes and some even with multiple entries! to the various events. The most popular events were the exhibition, flower show,VIP enclosure in and around the palace gates to watch the Jambu-Savari(elephant procession),Wrestling competition,flower show, Torch Light parade. I don't even remember if commercial tickets were even sold as one family pass in the neighborhood meant there was every possibility of availing it on a particular day by roster- I haven't seen such neighborhood camaraderie after i left Mysore. The much awaited Dasara exhibition was Mysore's only window to consumeristic opulence and fathers saved and planned for a day of impulsive spending. Today there are bigger and better consumer fairs and of course the ever so-convenient malls, but a visit to the traditional exhibition only completed the Dasara experience for the year. A ride on the giant wheel(and later tora toraa), the Delhi happaLa (papad), cotton candy,churmuri,mensinkai bajjis,10 packets of popcorn for anywhere between 10 and 5 rupees depending on the time of the day, and definitely the 'toy of the year'-usually a small and innovative contraption involving no more than a rubber band and a few pieces of plastic (boy! we loved them didn't we). There was always something for the ladies as well, a trinket, newer designs of imitation jewelry, handlooms from Tiruppur and Rajasthan and then the wonder machines that could chop vegetables,peel onions without a tear,knead dough, mop floors, soap savers,tap attachments and the crowd outside these stalls were something that would baffle any market strategist. The days are usually hot and sweaty during this time of the year and the evenings even more uncertain with the rain clouds looming over the horizon. But the lighting in the city during Dasara really drew my attention and soars the spirits. Every street in the city is decorated with light. Millions of bulbs glow to make the dark night in the city colorful and beautiful. The Palace and the surroundings are a sight that would remain etched in the mind for a long time.
Many years later with my daughter in tow, the festivities during Dasara continues to amaze us and i can see the same sparkle in my daughter's eyes that my parents saw in ours and encouraged us to spend and allowed us to give the school regimen a small break..wasn't it Dasara afterall? our very own oktoberfest !!
if you care for some trivia here, my first scaled down model car that i ever owned was (a red Lancia hatchback made in Hong Kong) was bought at the dasara exhibition circa 1986 -thanks to my doting parents, for an astonomical 8 or 10 rupees and it still has its place of pride in the display area in my living room)
And, finally a piece of advice, Don't bother clicking pictures during Dasara,enjoy the moment and the stay and just come back again next year and relive it again. It keeps getting better every year!
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