In Karnataka, Mysuru Dasara, is celebrated as the state festival, Nadahabba, primarily overseen by the Royal Family of Mysore. The Wodeyar dynasty has been commemorating this festival for centuries, making it a prominent cultural event in India. The celebration lasts for ten days and symbolizes the victory of good over evil, particularly the conquest of Goddess Chamundeshwari over the demon Mahishasura. The city and palace are adorned with dazzling lights, illuminating over 130 kilometers of streets and creating a breathtaking display.
For the 2024 celebrations, HC Mahadevappa, Karnataka’s Minister for Kannada and Culture, is overseeing the preparations. Nineteen sub-committees have been established to ensure organized planning, with a budget of ₹6.5 crore set aside for the lighting alone. The festivities commenced with the Dasara Flower Show at Kuppanna Park, inaugurated by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
This year, however, Siddaramaiah’s Congress party faces significant criticism for including a portrait of E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker (hailed by his followers as ‘Periyar’), known for his anti-Hindu sentiments and separatist views, in the Jambu Savari, the grand procession on the festival’s final day.
Netizens have expressed their outrage on social media regarding the ruling government’s decision to feature E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker (EVR) in the festivities. EVR, was openly critical of India’s independence, declared in his Tamil newspaper, Kudiyarasu, on 15 August 1947, “This is a day of sorrow. It is a day of shame for the nation and all of mankind.” His anti-Hindu and anti-national sentiments are well-documented, and he is known to have rejected the Indian Constitution, even allegedly burning parts of it.
Placing such a divisive figure, who consistently opposed Hinduism and the democratic principles of India, alongside revered leaders like Dr. B.R. Ambedkar who chaired the committee that drafted the Constitution and Rashtrakavi Kuvempu, the author of Karnataka’s proud anthem “Bharata Jananiya Tanujathe,” which celebrates national pride, is seen as an affront to the essence of Mysuru Dasara. This controversial decision risks introducing the toxic, divisive Dravidian ideology into Karnataka’s traditionally peaceful cultural environment, which has always embraced “Sarva Janangada Shantiya Thota” (the garden of peace for all communities). Karnataka does not need such ideological poison to undermine the harmony and cultural pride we have always upheld.
EVR Naicker in Mysuru Dasara – Disgraceful
Mysuru Dasara, rooted in the grand traditions of Vijayanagara, remains a deeply Hindu festival, with Tayi Chamundeshwari as its divine presiding deity. Although celebrated today as a Naada Habba, an inclusive people's festival in a… pic.twitter.com/zyZ01G1MXq
— Siddharth Athreyas (@athreyasss) October 13, 2024
What Did EVR Say About Dussehra
During one of his speech in Karaikudi, EVR openly incited non-Brahmins to kill Brahmins and also set a narrative that the demon Soorapadman was slain solely because of his atheism. EVR said, “They are celebrating festival it seems , he is celebrating Soora Samhaaram, what is it? He (Soorapadman the demon) was someone who said there is no god, they killed him, therefore now we can kill those buggers… that won’t be wrong (if we kill them) may be legally it will be wrong, that legal offence and all are bullshit we cant be bothered that it is legally wrong. We have to come to the conclusion, wherever we see a temple we must go inside and break all the idols inside, wherever we find Paapan (Brahmins) we must kill and destroy him. He has done like this to us, after all he (Tamil Brahmin) has done things like this only to come to this position. We must also do to him, whatever he has done, what, a few of us have to die, if one Tamil dies for one paapan, means only three of us will die out of every hundreds, balance 94% will still remain.”
Audio clip of EV Ramasamy calling for the total annihilation of brahmins . Had he had his way, there would be no TMKrishna to sing his praises, nor NMurali or NRam to deny the systematic vilification and persecution of their own kin for nearly a centurypic.twitter.com/K2COn4gRxh
— Kasturi (@KasthuriShankar) March 22, 2024
Given EVR’s history of anti-Hindu sentiments, his intentional portrayal in the 2024 Dussehra festival has ignited controversy, especially since he is not originally from the state and Karnataka does not subscribe to Dravidian ideology.
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