Shed blind beliefs, Karnad tells people

Jnanpith awardee writer Girish Karnad, on Thursday, asserted that it’s high time people shed blind beliefs and superstitions.

In his Dasara message, after inaugurating 404th Navaratri festivities atop Chamundi Hills here, Karnad said, “When the country is making advancements in the field of space research, people should come out of their deep-rooted misbeliefs that has gained ground in the last 25 years.

Though vaastu and astrology are a part of our culture, it is unwise to treat them on a par with science by imparting education on the subjects, he said, referring to an attempt made by a minister earlier to include them in the curriculum.

Reminiscence

Going down memory lane, Karnad reminisced ‘jamboo savari’ of the then Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar in 1956. It was the time when the State of Karnataka had unified and it was feared that Dasara may not be held in future. Karnad said, “I was a student at Dharwad and came down to Mysore to witness jamboo savari.”

Referring to the word Nada Habba being synonymous with Mysore Dasara, Karnad said, “Nada Habba saw its birth in Dharwad in the 1920s, when a group of thinkers like Da Ra Bendre, Alur Venkatrao and Betageri Krishna Sharma decided to organise the festival on a par with Navaratri. It was also an attempt to rekindle the people’s love for Kannada in that part of the State.”

Saying that he was grateful to the government for inviting him to do the honours, Karnad recalled his meeting with Pramoda Devi Wadiyar — wife of the late scion of the royal family Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar. “Soon after my name was announced to inaugurate Dasara, I called on Pramoda Devi Wadiyar at Bangalore Palace, seeking her wishes. Though she was in distress, she assured her cooperation,” said Karnad.