The first Dasara for tusker Abhimanyu in Mysuru, in the company of ‘Kumki’ elephants Kaveri and Vijaya, was a short affair as he had to traverse just 270 m rather than the usual 5 km.

The 10-day Mysuru Dasara festivities concluded on Monday under the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the world famous Jamboo Savari finale being the shortest and the quickest.

The distance of about 270 m was covered in under 30 minutes, with a nominal presence of cultural troupes and tableaux.

This year, the celebrations were only aimed at keeping the centuries-old tradition alive. The finale of Vijayadasami was confined to the Amba Vilas Palace.

Of the two tableaux presented, one was a tribute to COVID-19 warriors striving to save people. It showed a health worker wearing a mask and a PPE suit. Only six troupes took part — two groups of nadaswaram artistes, Veeragase Kunita and Chande Mela artistes, stilt walkers and Chilipili Gombe artistes.

 One stilt walker, as Chamundeshwari, and another as COVID-19 virus, depicted the deity killing the demon with a trishul. The finale, however, exceeded the ceiling of 300 attendees.

Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa flagged off the Savari, showering flowers on the Chamundeshwari idol in the 750-kg golden howdah on elephant Abhimanyu.

Jamboo Savari was limited to the palace in the past too: in 1994 due to the Surat plague and in 2002 due to the severe drought.

In a normal year, the Savari is a big spectacle with multiple cultural events taking over three hours to complete.

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