The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Advani to open Hampi festival

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Oct 31, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Advani to open Hampi festival

Special Correspondent

The three-day fest begins on Monday

300 artistes from all over the country to perform
Package tours organised to take people to Hampi

BANGALORE: Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha L.K. Advani will inaugurate the three-day Hampi Utsav at Hampi on Monday.

Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa; H.N. Anant Kumar, MP; and Ministers will participate in the inaugural function, which will be presided over by Anand Singh, Vijayanagar MLA.

Minister for Tourism and Infrastructure G. Janardhan Reddy told presspersons here on Thursday that Mr. Advani would release the books “Sri Krishna Devaraya” and “Vijayanagar Samskriti” and Mr. Yeddyurappa would release the book “Suvarna Hampi” brought out by Kannada University, Hampi.

Star performers

Figures from the entertainment industry will perform at this year’s Hampi Utsav. Asha Bhosle, Sonu Nigam, Ghazal singer Pankaj Udhas, actor Vasundhara Das and Ilayaraja will be the star performers.

Mr. Reddy, who is the chairman of the committee in charge of Hampi Utsav, said the festival would be held in a grand manner this year.

The BJP Government had decided to organise the cultural festival in a special way in an attempt to recapture the glory of the Vijayanagar period, he said. Mr. Reddy said that to add colour to the celebrations, arrangements had been made to bring decorated horses and elephants to the venue. Men dressed as soldiers would be posted on the main streets of Hampi. Cultural troupes from Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Ethiopia would participate in the festival. Around 300 artistes from different parts of the country would perform, he said.

Asked why Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly M. Mallikarjun Kharge had not been invited to participate in the utsav, Mr. Reddy said he would be invited next year. “We have not violated protocol,” he said.

The State Government has released Rs. 3 crore for making arrangements to hold the festival. The Tourism Department will organise package tours to bring tourists from different regions to witness various cultural events and visit the historical places surrounding Hampi.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka