Whopping Rs 18.17 crore spent on Yuva Dasara-2024; Time to revisit on this costly event
Mysuru
Time has come to revisit the idea of holding 'Yuva Dasara', which has gobbled up a whopping ₹18.17 crore out of the total ₹41.91 crore allocated for Mysuru Dasara-2024. That means nearly 46 per cent of the total money has been spent on just one event during the 10-day Dasara festivities that attract thousands of tourists to Mysuru from all over the country.
The concept of hosting this event was conceived a few years ago to involve youth in this 'Nada Habba' by inviting artists of national repute. Now, it has become a major crowd-puller, with thousands of young people gathering at one place to enjoy Bollywood hits and performances by reputed playback singers. However, most of these singers render just a couple of songs, with the rest performed by local singers.
This has turned into a lucrative opportunity for supporters of the incumbent government, who call artists by paying lakhs of rupees for just two or three hours of performance. There is intense competition to become a member of the organising committee, for reasons best known to them.
Earlier, the Dasara cultural events, especially classical performances, were restricted to the Mysore Palace, where artists showcased their traditional talents to large audiences. But now, cultural events are held at more than ten different locations, causing the public to be scattered across venues. While Yuva Dasara events attract huge crowds, classical performances at the palace draw sparse audiences. This shift has diluted the essence of what cultural Dasara once represented.
According to the expenditure statement released by the district administration:
₹3.86 crore was spent on the Reception and Seating Committee
₹90 lakhs on Jamboo Savari
₹88 lakhs on the Torchlight Parade
₹24.10 lakhs on tableaux
₹57 lakhs on Raitha Dasara
₹2.20 crore on Palace cultural programmes
₹23.41 lakhs on performing arts
₹51 lakhs on the Poet’s Meet
₹20 lakhs on Yoga Dasara
₹18.17 crore on Yuva Dasara
₹1.99 crore on Yuva Sambhrama
₹40 lakhs on Women and Children’s Dasara
₹40 lakhs on the Dasara Film Festival
₹45 lakhs on Dasara Wrestling
₹25 lakhs for the Forest Department
₹10 lakhs on Navaratri Rangotsava by Rangayana
₹5.91 crore released for various implementing officials
₹1.75 crore for Dasara festivities in Chamarajanagar district
₹2 crore for Mandya district
₹75 lakhs to Karnataka Exhibition Authority
₹1 crore for a state-level workshop organised in Hunsur
The state government released ₹25 crore, the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) provided ₹10 crore, and ₹4.76 crore was earned through ticket sales.
The government claims that ₹18 crore was spent on Yuva Dasara as reputed artists were invited to perform at the venue in Uttarahalli, on the outskirts of Mysuru.
Shyam Sundar Vattam
