Mysore Dasara 2013: brighter,and greener, than ever Shankar Bennur THE HINDU

This year, high energy-consuming incandescent light bulbs have been completely phased out of the Dasara illumination designs in Mysore.

Last year, over 55,000 incandescent bulbs illuminated roads, circles and buildings here, although LED lights also saw some use. However, this time only LED lights were pressed into service, a move which has the Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation cheering; thanks to this, at least 60 per cent of its energy has been saved.

The 15-day illuminations for Dasara last year went on to consume 1.25 lakh units of electricity. According to CESC officials, this year that number should come down to between 35,000 and 40,000 units.

A distance of about 30 km was covered in LED lights; including K R Circle, Hardinge Circle, Basaveshwara Circle, Ramaswamy Circle and Metropole Circle. CESC Superintending Engineer H.G. Satyanarayana told The Hindu that 2.3 lakh meters of LED string lights were used to illuminate the roads. Likewise, 16,000 m of LED tape lights, 1,500 m of LED rope light and 300 m of LED ‘zoomer’ lights had been used to brighten up the city this Dasara.

Green Pandal

This year’s ‘Green Pandal’ on Sayyaji Rao Road here used about 2,000 m of green LED string lights, as opposed to the 4,500 incandescent bulbs used last year. This might not have been possible without CESC’s getting corporate sponsorship this year; as many as 34 corporates were roped in to sponsor lighting in a distance of 20 km and major circles.

According to CESC, these sponsors included Kayati Steels, TVS, JK Tires, Vasu Agarbatties, South India Paper Mills and Kaynes Technologies.

Shops and business establishments in commercial hubs illuminated their premises voluntarily following a call from the district administration in view of the celebrations.

A replica of the Parliament and the Vidhana Soudha were created using gold and yellow LED lights near the Railway Station, Mr. Satyanarayana said.

Apprehensions

Though there were apprehensions about the outcome of using LED lighting (in terms of brightness) when the CESC decided to “say no to bulbs”, the response to the eco-friendly lighting has been by and large positive. “Feedback has been good. Hereafter, no bulbs will be used in Dasara lighting,” he added.

Hardinge Circle saw LED lights arranged to mimic flowers, which along with a revived fountain served greatly to enhance the circle’s beauty. Hundreds of trees in the city and several circles were also illuminated richly, in themselves acting as a tourist attraction. Many of Mysore’s heritage buildings, some over a century old, have also been spruced up with new lighting arrangements, including the majestic Crawford Hall, the offices of the Deputy Commissioner and Divisional Railway Manager, and the K.R. and Cheluvamba Hospitals.

“The illumination has enlivened the city’s festive ambience. Mysore looks bright and colourful at night, thanks to the new arrangements,” some locals, quite impressed by the lighting, told The Hindu on Wednesday evening. The city comes alive between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. daily, which prompted people to ask if it could be kept that way till 10.30 p.m., as some of the Dasara programmes at the Mysore palace and the Maharaja’s College grounds go on till 11 p.m.