Mysuru Dasara rain disrupted several festival events across the city on Friday evening, forcing visitors to watch performances in wet conditions while waterlogging affected the food festival and caused inconvenience at the flower show.
The Yuva Dasara programme near Uttanahalli continued despite the rain. Members of the public watched while getting wet, and some used umbrellas. Reports that the event had been cancelled had circulated earlier in the day, but the organising subcommittee said the programme would begin at 4.30pm and that only the Sandalwood Night event would be held.
The programme eventually started at about 6pm, according to Prajavani. Attendance was initially limited, while light rain continued during the performances. Rapper Chandan Shetty appeared at 7pm, followed by All OK Alok and singer Vijay Prakash, who performed film songs for the audience.
The disruption was part of a wider impact on the Dasara calendar. A police band programme scheduled at the Amba Vilas Palace premises was held inside a German tent because of the rain. The food festival at Maharaja College grounds was also affected, with water collecting at several locations and turning parts of the venue muddy. Visitors faced difficulty moving through the grounds and accessing stalls.
People who came to see the festival’s electric illuminations continued to do so despite the rain. Visitors to the fruit and flower show at Kuppanna Park also experienced inconvenience. The combination of temporary public venues, open grounds and large visitor movement left several Dasara attractions exposed to changing weather conditions.
Rain had already affected Yuva Dasara on Thursday night, when the programme was curtailed. Electric illuminations were switched off in many places after heavy rain that evening. The disruptions have made weather management a practical concern for events spread across multiple open-air locations rather than confined to a single venue.
More Dasara programmes were scheduled for Saturday, October 17, including a drone show at the torchlight parade ground in Bannimantap, a musical evening by Shaan and his team at the Amba Vilas Palace premises, and a performance by playback singer Jasmine Sandlas at Yuva Dasara. Prajavani reported that rain was also possible on Saturday evening.
