The significance of elephants in Mysuru Dasara

B S Prabhurajan | Agencies
October 15, 2018

Mysuru, Oct 15: The cynosure of all eyes, the 'Naada Habba' (Dasara Festival) or people's festival celebrated with grandeur in Mysuru is incomplete without the presence of 12 caprisoned elephants drawn from different elephant camps in Karnataka.

Each one of the elephants has a characteristic feature that was remarkable and evokes admiration.

Without the elephants the Dasara festival has no charm and chief attraction not only grand finale of procession but also other visitors and tourists every at the palace premises. Elephants that participate in Mysuru Dasara tend to have an aura about them. Some tuskers like Arjuna, Balarama, Abhimanyu, and Vikrama have been regulars in the festivities for years now.

The cynosure of all eyes since 2012 is Arjuna who, during the Vijayadashmi procession, will carry the idol of goddess Chamundeshwari that will be placed on a golden howdah weighing around 750 kg. Arjuna is around 58 years old and is 2.95 m in height, 3.75 m in length and between 5,500 to 5,870 kg in weight.

He was caught in the Khedda operations of 1968 in Kakanakote forests and has participated in 18 editions of Mysuru Dasara. Said to have been temperamental initially, Arjuna has mellowed down over the years and replaced Balarama as the howdah carrier in 2012. His mahout is Vinu and the kavadi or the assistant is Sanappa.

Vikrama is 45 years old and was captured from Doddabetta forests in 1990. At 2.6 m in height and weighing 3,820 kg, he has participated in 14 editions of Dasara and since 2015 has been roped in as 'Pattada Aane' for religious ceremonies of the palace.

Gopi from Dubare elephant camp is around 36 years old and was captured in 1993 from Karekoppe forests. He has participated in eight editions of Mysuru Dasara so far. He is 2.62 m in height and weighs 3,710 kg.

Making his Dasara debut is Dhananjaya, 35 years old from Dubare. He was captured from Yasaluru region in Hassan in 2013 and has been deployed in operations to drive away or capture other 'rogue' elephants that habitually frequent human landscape and inflict damage. He measures around 2.78 m and weighs nearly 4,050 kg and is among the more powerful of the new generation tuskers with the Forest Department.

Varalakshmi, at 62, is the senior-most in the first batch of six elephants. She is 2.4 m in height and weighs 3,325 kg. Captured from Kakanakote forests in 1977, she has participated in nine editions of Dasara. She is from Mathigodu elephant camp and is described as passive in temperament.

Chaitra is 47 years old and from Bandipur. She weighs 3,600 kg and is 2.52 m in height. The daughter of the elephant Gange, Chaitra was born in the camp and has been described as calm and gentle in her temperament. She has already participated in Mysuru Dasara four times.

The more seasoned among the elephants Abhimanyu and Balarama who used to be part of the first batch, are assisting the Forest Department in a combing operation in Ramanagaram. Hence the two, along with Drona, Vijaya, Kaveri and Gopalswamy will join the six jumbos in the days ahead as part of the second batch and train together.

The majestic Gajendra who is around 63 years old and has participated in Dasara 20 times, will be missing in action. He has been rested this year as his mahout passed away recently and the authorities did not want to take a chance with a new person at the helm.

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News Network
May 12,2024

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In an intriguing turn of events, authorities have levied a fine against an actress for breaching traffic regulations depicted within a television serial.

In the 14th episode of the popular serial ‘Seetha Raama’ a Kannada language drama series airing on Zee Kannada, a scene featuring two individuals riding a scooter caught the attention of viewers. While the rider adhered to safety protocols by wearing a helmet, the actress on the pillion did not.

Jayaprakash Yekkur, a vigilant resident of Mangaluru, took swift notice of this discrepancy and promptly lodged a complaint with the Mangaluru City Police Commissioner. Yekkur underscored the concern that such portrayals of traffic violations by actors and actresses could potentially convey misleading messages to viewers, particularly those who are impressionable. He urged authorities to take decisive legal action against the actress, the serial’s director, and the broadcasting channel.

In response to Yekkur’s complaint, the Commissioner of Police forwarded the matter to the Mangaluru Traffic Police station. Subsequently, notices were issued to the owner of the two-wheeler featured in the scene and the serial’s director. Upon investigation, it was revealed that the scene had been filmed in Nandini Layout, Bengaluru, and was referred to the Rajajinagar police station for further scrutiny.

On May 10, after thorough inquiries, the Rajajinagar police station imposed a fine of Rs 500 on both the actress and the owner of the two-wheeler. Furthermore, the production manager of the serial committed to adhering strictly to traffic regulations in future episodes.

Expressing his contentment with the resolution, Jayaprakash Yekkur commented that the prompt response from the police, coupled with the imposition of a fine, serves as a valuable lesson and contributes significantly to enhancing public awareness.

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News Network
May 4,2024

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Mangaluru, May 4: A tragic incident unfurled last evening in Subrahmanya of Kadaba taluk in Dakshina Kananda, where a young gentleman, who had recently entered the bonds of matrimony a mere ten days hence, met his untimely demise due to a lightning strike.

As twilight descended, a tempestuous thunderstorm, accompanied by billowing rain clouds, cast its shadow over the locale.

Somasundar was diligently engaged in the task of piling up dried nuts in the yard to shield them from the impending deluge, when fate cruelly intervened, subjecting him to the fatal force of a lightning bolt.

Despite the expeditious efforts to convey him to Kadaba Community Hospital subsequent to his sudden indisposition, he tragically succumbed to his injuries. 

Somasundar, who operated a car washing enterprise in proximity to Subrahmanya, is mourned by his mother, sister, and wife.

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News Network
May 7,2024

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The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) on Monday responded to Karnataka’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) regarding a blue corner notice issued against JDS MP Prajwal Revanna.

In its response, Interpol said that all 196 member countries were alerted to identify and report if Prajwal Revanna is spotted at any port in their jurisdiction.

The Karnataka government issued a Blue Corner Notice on Sunday against Prajwal Revanna, who is facing allegations of sexual abuse by his staff members.

A Blue Corner Notice is issued by the international police cooperation body to collect additional information from its member countries about a person’s identity, location or activities about a crime.

The notice was issued after the 33-year-old Hassan MP reportedly flew to Germany soon after the Karnataka State Commission for Women chairperson Nagalakshmi Chowdhary wrote to the CM to order a probe into the sexual allegations against Prajwal.

Last week, the anticipatory bail application of Prajwal Revanna was also denied by Justice Santosh Gajanana Bhat’s bench of People’s Representative Court in Bengaluru.

Earlier, his MLA father and son of former Prime Minster HD Deve Gowda, HD Revanna was remanded to Karnataka SIT custody in a kidnapping-related sex scandal case.

His arrest came after the kidnapped victim was rescued from Revanna’s close assistant Rajasekhar’s farmhouse in Kalenahalli, Hunsur Taluk after the SIT conducted the rescue operation to find her, the police said.

The abduction case was filed by the son of a woman who worked at the Revannas’ house for nearly five years. He alleged that his mother was kidnapped from her home on April 29 by Satish Babanna a relative of Revanna.

The Karnataka Sex Scandal case pertains to explicit video clips allegedly involving the 33-year-old Prajwal, grandson of JD(S) patriarch and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, which went viral on social media.

Those videos began to make rounds in Hassan in recent days, following which the state government constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the sexual abuse allegations against the MP.

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