Mysuru: A coalition of environmental, farmers’, Kannada and progressive organisations Thursday warned the Karnataka govt to withdraw its decision to organise a Kambala event during Mysuru Dasara. They set a one-week deadline, failing which they will launch protests and move the court.Addressing a joint news conference, Parisarakagi Naavu general secretary Parashuramegowda said preparations had begun, with officials inspecting land in Sathagalli, on the outskirts of the city, for the proposed Kambala arena. He alleged that the project would result in unnecessary public expenditure and environmental damage.The organisations said Kambala, an 800-year-old traditional buffalo race of coastal Karnataka, originated as a thanksgiving ritual by farmers after the paddy harvest and should remain rooted in its native cultural and geographical setting. Bringing it to Mysuru during Dasara, they said, would dilute the historical and cultural identity of the 10-day festival. They also warned that allowing Kambala could set a precedent for introducing other regional sporting events such as Jallikattu into Dasara celebrations.Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha president Badagalapura Nagendra said there was unanimous opposition to the proposal and urged the govt to respect public sentiment. He said nearly Rs 10 crore proposed for the event should instead be used to support struggling folk artists and farmers.Historian NS Rangaraju questioned spending taxpayers’ money on a two-day event, while environmentalist Bhanu Mohan alleged that vegetation was already cleared on a 27-acre site near the VTU College despite an FIR being registered against three persons.The organisations also expressed concern over the felling of trees, wastage of lakhs of litres of water, and the logistical exercise of transporting around 400 buffaloes and nearly 20,000 people associated with the event. They demanded that the govt strengthen traditional Dasara programmes and promote local art forms rather than introduce Kambala. They warned of united statewide protests if the decision is not reversed within a week.
