Mysuru: Appealing to the state govt to protect land, water and environment from pollution, and urging people of Karnataka to make one good resolution a day with an aim to take Karnataka one step forward, Abhinava Gavisiddeshwara Swami of Gavi Mutt on Sunday inaugurated the 11-day Mysuru Dasara festival atop Chamundi Hills.Karnataka must draw inspiration from kings, poets, philosophers, farmers, and scientists, who have built the state, he said.The seer said: “Instead of lighting one lakh lamps, let us light a lamp in the form of planting a sapling like Salumarada Thimmakka. And let us rejuvenate a waterbody, a lake or improve a school in the neighbourhood by gifting a lab or library like Harekal Hajabba, a fruit vendor. When he can build a school without resources, we can do a lot with what we have,” he said.“I have come here not just to inaugurate the Dasara festival by lighting the lamp, but to seek Goddess Chamundeshwari to keep the lamp of hope burning forever,” he stated, adding: ““Love the land that gives us food. We must respect and protect it, because our life and livelihood begin with soil, water, and clean air. Karnataka is blessed with rivers like Krishna, Tunga-Bhadra, and Cauvery. They are not just waterways, they are the lifeline of people. Our reservoirs and lakes make Karnataka a food bowl. But these will last only if we care for them.”“If we fall short of gold or iron, we may import them. But if our rivers dry up, who will restore them? No one can bring a dead river back to life. Conservation is our responsibility, not just a govt duty,” the seer asserted.Describing Dasara as a confluence of the past, present, and future, the seer said from Adikavi Pampa to Kuvempu, Kannada poets have carried the message of harmony, and “our culture teaches people to love fellow human beings as human beings”. The seer said that religion is not only about leading people to heaven, but about transforming life on earth into something like heaven.Chief minister DK Shivakumar, who appealed to religious leaders to pray for the welfare of the state, said: “We can’t forget that Dasara has preserved Karnataka’s art and culture for centuries”. The CM remembered the contributions of Mysuru maharaja Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar to developing Mysuru into a brand through Mysuru Silk, Soap and Sandal, and Mysuru Pak.Scores of religious leaders from different faiths participated in the event. Wesley Cathedral Presbyterian in-charge Rev KP Devkumar, who witnessed the Dasara inaugural event for the first time, thanked the CM for the invite.Someshwaranatha Swamiji of Sri Adichunchanagiri Mutt, Mysuru unit, and Muktidanandaji Maharaj of Sri Ramakrishna Ashrama, Mysuru, were among religious leaders present.
