India, July 4 -- Stop cluttering Dasara to make money

IN BLACK AND WHITE BY VIKRAM MUTHANNA

Every few years, just before Dasara, someone gets a bright idea, which is, "Ah, let's add one more event to Mysuru Dasara." This year, it is Kambala, the spectacular buffalo race of Coastal Karnataka.

The Kambala is undoubtedly a magnificent tradition and deserves to be celebrated, but. not in Mysuru Dasara.

The issue is not about Kambala but about the slow and steady transformation of Mysuru Dasara from India's most elegant royal festival into an overcrowded Government-sponsored 'jathre.'

Today, Dasara suffers from what can only be called as "event inflation."

Today, Dasara is filled with events. We have Mahila Dasara, Raitha Dasara, Makkala...