This is #Navaratri / #Dasara.
For long & even today, Dasara is synonymous with #Mysore. It is also the nADa-habba - the State Festival of Karnataka.
Dasara as the State Festival are a contribution of the #Wodeyar dynasty.
“May they prosper forever” - the Yadukula Santana.
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For long & even today, Dasara is synonymous with #Mysore. It is also the nADa-habba - the State Festival of Karnataka.
Dasara as the State Festival are a contribution of the #Wodeyar dynasty.
“May they prosper forever” - the Yadukula Santana.
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Vijayadashami as a Festival has a very long history. Many classical texts trace it back to Mahabharata, although the Vyasa Bharata does not say anything. It, of course, goes back to Ramayana.
In the Classical era & subsequently in the preBritish references are galore.
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In the Classical era & subsequently in the preBritish references are galore.
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The Vijayanagar Kings made Vijayadashami - Dasara a very big event, which is recorded by many travellers.
But its the Wodeyars alone who carried this festival to the Modern times. They transformed a cultural/religious event into a State/Civilizational Festival.
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But its the Wodeyars alone who carried this festival to the Modern times. They transformed a cultural/religious event into a State/Civilizational Festival.
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Their Design and Celebration of the Festival represents the transformation of the Tradition into the Modern without loss of the Core and Continuity. One of those greatest achievements of Saatatya.
So much so that the Modern State is compelled to follow the Tradition.
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So much so that the Modern State is compelled to follow the Tradition.
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Thus, the Dasara State Festival of Karnataka is one of those few achievements of ours in the last 200 years where Modernity did not trump the Tradition, where the Time did not suffer a break and discontinuity.
One of those few experiences that we can access on our own terms.
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One of those few experiences that we can access on our own terms.
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The Dasara Festival of Karnataka is actually a Metaphor for what the Wodeyar Dynasty of Mysore achieved at the larger Civilizational level.
Because of the Wodeyars, Karnataka stepped into Modernity without conflict with the Tradition.
That is a history not yet told.
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Because of the Wodeyars, Karnataka stepped into Modernity without conflict with the Tradition.
That is a history not yet told.
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Something extraordinary happened in the Mysore State between 1880 to 1950. This process was certainly anchored by the Wodeyar dynasty while others played a key role as well.
Nalvadi Krishnarajendra Wodeyar deserves the biggest credit for anchoring along with his mother.
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Nalvadi Krishnarajendra Wodeyar deserves the biggest credit for anchoring along with his mother.
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The Nature of this Renaissance is stunning.
1. Mysore created a unique form of administration consisting of the King, King’s Office, The Dewan, Council of Ministers, semi-elected representatives with limited powers, modern administrative units with an Indic character.
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1. Mysore created a unique form of administration consisting of the King, King’s Office, The Dewan, Council of Ministers, semi-elected representatives with limited powers, modern administrative units with an Indic character.
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The King kept a close eye on International Developments. He was himself trained in the best traditions of the India and the West. He was keen to bring every development in the world to the Mysore State but on our own terms. As a result, Mysore saw Modern democracy very early.
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2. Modern academic disciplines and scholarship flourished in the Mysore State. As a result you see humongous development of Humanities. The Mysore narratives ensured that the traditional perspectives were well retained in the Modern scholarship - at least until recently.
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3. An entire movement of Navodaya Literature shaped up. Kannada got a Modern form and expression while mirroring its own cultural past even as it faced the present.
What our ancestors wrote between 1900 to 1950 continues to inspire Kannada readers even today.
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What our ancestors wrote between 1900 to 1950 continues to inspire Kannada readers even today.
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More importantly, whatever is appreciated of post-1950 it is so only if it retains Continuity with the previous fifty years. What sought to break this Continuity has sunk without trace within 10-20 years of its end.
Even as the Navodaya Literature continues to flourish.
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Even as the Navodaya Literature continues to flourish.
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4. On Technology and Material Progress, we simply need not say anything thanks to Sir. M. Vishweshwaraiah.
While he is celebrated as an individual and rightly so, important to note that Sir MV represented Mysore’s best step forwards towards Modernity.
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While he is celebrated as an individual and rightly so, important to note that Sir MV represented Mysore’s best step forwards towards Modernity.
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10s of stalwarts quietly engaged with Sir MV. Its in this engagement full of conflict and collaboration that Mysore took definite steps towards Modernity retaining its character.
This process was anchored by Krishnarajendra Wodeyar and the environment of Mysore.
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This process was anchored by Krishnarajendra Wodeyar and the environment of Mysore.
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5. Take any Modern Institution of that era in the World. Mysore had an equivalent and with a unique Indian character. So many things revived/thrived in Mysore during this period - Yoga, Sanskrit, Classical Music.
This was possible only because of the vision of the Wodeyars.
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This was possible only because of the vision of the Wodeyars.
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6. Not just that. If you look at the great stalwarts who were born between 1880 to 1950, there was something extraordinary out there. Their thought has survived to this date.
In summary, an entire region strived to digest international developments on its own terms.
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In summary, an entire region strived to digest international developments on its own terms.
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This entire process is best represented to stalwarts of Karnataka. DVG and Masti Venkatesha Iyengar. In their writings you can see a virtual history of those 50 years.
DVG’s writing demonstrates how the society was retaining its character inspite of change.
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DVG’s writing demonstrates how the society was retaining its character inspite of change.
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Masti on the contrary was showing how the society was changing while striving to retain the character.
The same substance but with a different rythm.
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The same substance but with a different rythm.
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In summary, Mysore evolved into a form of Society and Organization that best demonstrates what could have happened to the rest of India if it didn’t suffer Colonial assault. For, because of the Wodeyars, we suffered least of this assault.
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But, unfortunately, this version of Indic Modernity has gone unrecognised and unrecorded. We have dynastic histories. But we do not have a Civilizational and Cultural History of India in the Modern form.
That must start from Mysore.
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That must start from Mysore.
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Having already written a book on Mysore, somebody like Shri. @vikramsampath is in the best position to undertake this - if he considers the cause worthy.
For, we need to recognise Mysore’s civilizational achievement. There may be a lesson or two in this for Bharatavarsha.
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For, we need to recognise Mysore’s civilizational achievement. There may be a lesson or two in this for Bharatavarsha.
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I will end this thread on a personal note.
When I was in 5th Standard, I remember sitting in the Geography class. “India is a Developing Country”. I read that for the first time. It was in the context of industrialisation and diary products.
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When I was in 5th Standard, I remember sitting in the Geography class. “India is a Developing Country”. I read that for the first time. It was in the context of industrialisation and diary products.
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I did not understand that sentence. NZ was presented as a Developed Country. The teacher explained but it did not make sense. The class ended.
I looked out of the window. The Malleshwaram Lawn Tennis Grounds were visible. Beyond that the beautiful Malleshwaram Playgrounds.
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I looked out of the window. The Malleshwaram Lawn Tennis Grounds were visible. Beyond that the beautiful Malleshwaram Playgrounds.
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I imagined everything that was beyond. Malleshwaram, Majestic, Basavanagudi, Jayanagar, stretching into the outskirts of Bangalore, all towns, beyond that the City of Mysore, all towns where I spent considerable time in and around Mysore, the Villages that I had visited…..
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Nothing could be force-fitted into this binary of Developed and Developing.
I just decided to suspend an acceptance of this binary for a future date. Decades lates I understood that this binary only represented the overall material production dimension.
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I just decided to suspend an acceptance of this binary for a future date. Decades lates I understood that this binary only represented the overall material production dimension.
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Psychologically I never accepted the inferior status of Developing country from a civilizational stand point. It just represented a technical reality in one dimension.
This was possible because of the confidence that Mysore State passed onto the Modern State of Karnataka.
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This was possible because of the confidence that Mysore State passed onto the Modern State of Karnataka.
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Psychologically I never accepted this inferior status of Developing Country at a Civilizational level (I have seen this negative impact elsewhere). It merely remained a technical reality in dimension.
This confidence is the contribution of the Old Mysore State.
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This confidence is the contribution of the Old Mysore State.
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Mysore State passed on this confidence to the Modern State of Karnataka through its creative engagement with Modernity and confident remoulding of it to contain the Civilizational substance of Bharatavarsha.
“chiramabhivardhatAM yadu-kula santAnaM” is for this reason.
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“chiramabhivardhatAM yadu-kula santAnaM” is for this reason.
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This Civilizational History, this cultural and intellectual achievement of one region of India needs to be told.
The rest of Modern India needs to know this - in its journey to become India - that is Bharat.
🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
The rest of Modern India needs to know this - in its journey to become India - that is Bharat.
🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
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