Karnad agrees to inaugurate Dasara

Bangalore: The state government on Wednesday formally invited Jnanpith recipient Girish Karnad to inaugurate the world-famous Dasara festivities that begin in Mysore on September 25.
The high-level committee on Dasara celebration headed by chief minister Siddaramaiah has chosen Karnad as chief guest, which was opposed by both the opposition parties – BJP and the JD(S).
Mysore district minister V Srinivas Prasad and other ministers from Mysore and Chamarajanagar, HC Mahadevappa and HD Mahadeva Prasad, extended the formal invitation to Karnad by visiting his house at JP Nagar in Bangalore.Earlier, a team of ministers also formally invited the CM to the festivities.
Maintaining it was an honour to inaugurate the Dasara festivities, Karnad said he was not affected by the criticism. “There should always be pro and anti views. Without this, democracy will lose its value,” he said.
Asked about the possibility of the traditional private durbar in Mysore Palace not happening this year, Karnad said Dasara celebration should change sometimes and now it’s for a change.