President Droupadi Murmu prayed to Goddess Chamundeshwari atop Chamundi hills to begin the ten-day Mysuru Dasara festival.
The President welcomed everyone to the festive occasion by beginning her speech in Kannada. She prayed to Goddess Chamundeshwari for her people’s and the nation’s well-being.
The President later explained in Hindi that Vijayadashmi is a celebration of Goddess Chamundeshwari’s victory over the demon Mahishasura. The festival also honours women’s empowerment, the President pointed out.
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She recalled the roles played by Rani Abbakka Devi, Rani Chennamma, and Onake Obavva of Chitradurga in opposing foreign colonial powers and Hyder Ali’s soldiers.
The President, while discussing the educational, cultural, historical, spiritual, and religious significance of the cities of Hubballi and Dharwad in northern Karnataka, noted that these twin cities represent linguistic harmony between Kannada and Marathi. It is an intersection of the modern and the ancient.
The Kannada poets and writers Da.Ra.Bendre and V. Kru. Gokak, as well as the classical singers Bhimshree Joshi and Pandit Basavaraj Rajguru, hail from this region. Here religious leaders such as Basaveshwara and Siddaruda Maharaj began their spiritual journeys. Rani Chennamma and freedom fighter Naragunda Babasahed both sacrificed their lives for the sake of their country, added President Droupadi Murmu.
Hubballi and Dharwad are significant learning centres. The President urged residents of this region to contribute to the greater good of the country. Prahlad Joshi, Union Minister for Coal and Mines, expressed delight that the President could visit Dharwad. He stated that the President had a modest beginning, beginning her public life as a member of the Gram Panchayat and rising to become a member of the legislative Assembly, minister, and governor before becoming the President. He pointed out the President’s good nature and simplicity.
