April 16, 2013:
As the election politics makes summer hotter, Bangalore prepares for its most popular festival in the old quarters of the town. Karaga is perhaps the most well-known traditional festival in Bangalore, celebrated with a large gathering around Dharmarayaswamy Temple in the center of the town.
Bangalore Karaga, one of the oldest community festivals in the city, kicks off from the Dharmarayaswamy temple in Thigalarapet towards midnight of April 24. The 11-day festival starts with the flag hoisting on the night of April 16, with several rituals being performed each day thereafter. The main Karaga was scheduled for April 25. It has been advanced by a day due to the lunar eclipse.
The roots of Karaga go back over five centuries, and to the Thigala community which has kept the festival alive over the centuries. The Karaga festival is generally led by the men of the community. There is a legend which gives them this privilege. Thigalas believe that in the last part of the Mahabharatha, when the Pandavas were shown a glimpse of hell, one last Asura (Demon) called Tripurasura was still alive.
At this time, Draupadi, the Pandava’s wife, took the form of Shakthi devi. She created a huge army of soldiers called the Veerakumaras. After defeating the Asura, the soldiers asked Shakthi Devi to stay back with them. Though she had to go back, she promised them that she would come to stay with them every year during the first full moon of the first month of the Hindu calendar. Thigalas believe that they belong to this community of soldiers.
The Karaga is a pot on which is a floral cone. The Karaga is expertly balanced on the carrier’s head. The carrier, in his temporary avatar as Draupadi, goes to the houses of the veerakumaras where their families perform pooja to the Karaga. The carrier is practically in a trance even as he dances along with the veerakumaras. By the time the procession returns to the temple it is dawn. This year the Karaga will be carried by H.C. Lokesh for the fourth time.
Karaga is a unique celebration that brings people of different religions together. The Karaga stops at the Mastan Sab Darga during the procession. This testifies to the secular nature of the festival. Only people from the Gowda, Ganacharya and Chakridaararu communities are permitted to carry on the tradition of conducting the Karaga. Chakridararu are those who perform the various pooja activities at the time of Karaga.
The historic Bangalore Karaga, which is celebrated with religious fervor each year, may not be as colorful this year due to hottest summer and elections.
****
Hopeful of a comeback in Karnataka, the Congress has to overcome factionalism and select the right candidates if it has to return to power in the state in May after seven years. A win in Karnataka could boost the Congress morale in southern India, especially after the exit of the DMK from the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance over the Sri Lankan issue.
The Congress, lost the state to the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2008 primarily due to infighting and wrong selection of candidates, say party insiders. However the party seems to have not learnt a lesson from its mistakes.
The mood in the Congress camp is upbeat after it left the ruling BJP behind in the recent urban local body polls, where the party won three out of seven major city corporations. These include Bellary, Mangalore and Davanagere. It was the single largest party in Mysore and Gulbarga.
Realising that the stakes are high given a divided BJP, especially after the exit of former chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, there was mad rush to get party ticket. All these factors have further intensified rebellion in the party, which has been a blessing in disguise for its opponents.
Ruling BJP is at its wit’s end and does not seem to have a clue on how to shake off the KJP syndrome that threatens to shatter its hope of retaining power in the polls. The KJP is unlikely to win a significant number of seats but has the potential to severely damage the BJP’s prospects.
The BJP rightly diagnoses that the Congress is its main opponent across Karnataka with the Janata JD-S) posing a challenge to both the parties in some parts of the state.
Though JDS seems to have broadened its network across the state, the party lacks strong candidates in many places. The situation is almost similar in the new born parties – KJP and BSR Congress. All these parties have opened their doors to the dissidents of the other parties and waiting for them. The show may continue for few more days.
****
Most worrying thing is the nexus between criminals and politics. As per a research more than 20 per cent of candidates nominated by the major political parties in their first list have criminal cases.
Forty out of 194 nominees – 24 from BJP and 16 from Congress – or 21 per cent of candidates whose affidavits were available from previous elections have declared criminal cases against themselves. Of them, 16 candidates – ten from BJP and six from Congress – have declared serious criminal charges in their last submitted affidavit like murder, attempt to murder and kidnapping.
Out of the 194 candidates, 113 or 58 per cent candidates were crorepatis. 44 out of 85 or 52 per cent candidates from BJP were crorepatis and 69 out of 109 or 63 per cent candidates from Congress were crorepatis as per their previously submitted affidavits.
Among the 194 candidates from both BJP and Congress, R V Deshpande of Congress from Haliyal constituency has declared the highest assets worth Rs. 145.57 crore followed by M Krishnappa from Vijayanagar constituency with assets worth Rs. 129.32 crore and N A Haris of Congress from Shantinagar constituency with assets worth Rs. 85.34 crore.
The highest assets among the BJP candidates are with N S Nandiesha Reddy from K R Pura constituency worth Rs. 36.24 crore, according to the analysis conducted by Karnataka Election Watch and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).
It is really a pathetic situation that most of the candidates selected by the political parties are either having criminal records or crorepathies with common man left at larch.
