Young artists bring Mysuru Dasara alive on canvas

Mysuru

The grandeur, colour and festive spirit of Mysuru Dasara came alive on canvas as talented school and college students showcased their artistic skills in a drawing competition organised as part of the Chitrasanthe being held in the city on Saturday. The drawing competition was organised as part of the Mysuru Dasara festival, providing young artists an opportunity to capture the splendour and traditions of the world-famous celebrations through their paintings. The participants were encouraged to portray the various attractions of Dasara, including its major events and the iconic Jumbo Savari, which forms the centerpiece of the Vijayadashami celebrations. The paintings of three young artists, which vividly captured the colour, grandeur and cultural richness of Dasara, were selected for the first three prizes. Pavani P, a ninth-standard student of Capitol Public School, won the first prize for her impressive depiction of the Dasara celebrations. Romith Arya D, a first PUC student of Vijaya Vittala PU College, secured the second prize. The third prize went to Kshiti S, a ninth-standard student of SJCS, for her artistic presentation of the Dasara festivities. The winning paintings stood out for their creative portrayal of the major Dasara events and the spectacular Jumbo Savari, reflecting the students' imagination and appreciation of Mysuru's rich cultural heritage. The competition added youthful colour and creativity to the Chitrasanthe celebrations, highlighting how art can bring the magnificent traditions of Mysuru Dasara closer to the younger generation. Around 70 students of Classes 8 to 12 participated enthusiastically in a painting competition. The competition was held on the themes ‘Our Mysuru Dasara’ and ‘Clean Mysuru Dasara’. Students arrived at the venue along with their parents and showcased their creativity by drawing paintings depicting various aspects of Dasara and the importance of keeping Mysuru clean. Mahadevashetty, Principal of Kalaniketan School of Art, and Balaswamy, president of the Visual Artists Association, and S.J. Ganesh, secretary of the association, served as judges and supervised the competition. The judges selected the best paintings based on the students’ understanding of the themes and their artistic presentation. B.S. Prashanth, owner of Safe Wheels and president of the Federation of Associations, sponsored bicycles as the first, second and third prizes through his organisation to encourage students to take an interest in painting and creative activities. Speaking at the prize distribution ceremony, Chitrasanthe programme chairperson and Mysuru City Corporation Commissioner M.K. Savitha said children should be encouraged to play an active role in keeping Mysuru clean. She said students should create awareness among their families about segregating waste at source and should also help their parents in maintaining cleanliness in and around their homes. Explaining the significance of awarding bicycles to the winners, Savitha said excessive use of mobile phones was creating several problems among the younger generation. Encouraging children to reduce mobile phone usage and use bicycles for their daily commute would help them maintain good health, reduce air pollution and contribute to creating a cleaner and healthier environment, she said.