Mangaluru: A conglomeration of Karnataka’s traditional dance forms and percussion troupes were seen at Dakshina Kannada’s first Taluk level ‘Karavali Utsava’ inauguration on Friday, 23 December. Though the inauguration of the utsava was hosted at Mangala Exhibition Ground, the 10 day long fest will be organized at Kadri Park.
A procession of 66 art teams from various parts of Karnataka was flagged off at Mangala grounds which led to Kadri Park. The art forms included Yakshagaana, Kolaata, Veeragaase, Halakki Kunitha, Dollu Kunitha and Doddaata among others.
Karnataka Minister of Food and Civil Supplies, U T Khadar was present at Mangala Exhibition Ground along with District In-charge Minister B Ramanath Rai, Deputy Commissioner Dr. Jagadeesha, Mangaluru City Corporation Mayor Harinath K and District Kannada Sahitya Parishath president Pradeep Kumar Kalkura.
After the traditional ribbon cutting and lighting of the lamp, Karavali Utsava was declared open. Speaking on the occasion, U T Khadar made an appeal to the youth by saying, “We as citizens of the same district must conserve our culture as it is our combined asset. The morals set by our elders must be respected and carried forward by youth of the present generation.”
A procession of the 66 teams started off after U T Khadar’s address to the gathering. Participants of the procession were seen showing off their skill in their respective art forms with all the enthusiasm. Several tableaux depicting the culture and traditions of Dakshina Kannada district also followed the procession which took the Bejai road through Lalbaugh and ended at Kadri Park.
At the formal inauguration of the cultural fest at Kadri Park, Mangalorean saxophonist Kadri Gopalanath addressed the gathering and said that any form of art reaches perfection through practice and patience. “Practicing of any art form is a necessity to reach the pinnacle of success in the same art. Various academies dedicated to the respective arts should provide more opportunities for budding talent to take shape”, he added.
On the same occasion, Ramanath Rai said, “There were a lot of Karavali Utsavs in the past, but this is the first time in history that the same utsav is being conducted on a taluk level in all taluks of Dakshina Kannada. The district is known for it’s variety of festivals and this utsav should be properly utilized by all artists in order to express their talent.”
MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, Mangaluru South MLA J R Lobo, Mangaluru North MLA Moideen Bawa, MCC Commissioner Mohammad Nazeer and Karnataka State Child Rights Protection Commission Chairman Kripa Alva were also present along with the dignitaries present at the inauguration in Mangala Ground.
