Mangaluru, Dec 22: The 10-day Karavali Utsav got off to a colourful start on Friday, with a colourful procession of folk teams reflecting the rich culture of Karnataka.
The procession was flagged off by Minister for Food and Civil Supplies U T Khader. District-in-charge Minister B Ramanath Rai inaugurated the exhibition.
The procession was taken out from Nehru Maidan to Karavali Utsav grounds. It passed through A B Shetty Circle, Clock Tower, Hampankatta Circle, K S Rao Road, Navbharath Circle, P V S Junction, M G Road, Ballalbagh before culminating at the Karavali Utsav ground.
Inaugurating the festival, multilingual actor Prakash Raj said he was proud to have been born in the coastal region where festivities are a daily affair.
Reminding people of the need to build a society where members of different communities coexist, he said events such as Karavali Utsav should celebrate human values.
“People from there are known for hard work and the way they live with nature. It’s because of their belief in temples, nagabanas and daivastanas that the environment has remained pristine. Like the sea, people too are known to give back what they gained from society,” he said.
Mr. Raj said this climate of coexistence of communities was being destroyed by forces trying to divide society on communal lines.
Criticising those who threatened him on Facebook against participating in the utsav, the actor said it was unfortunate that these critics have prevented people from enjoying the festival. “But nothing will prevent me from enjoying the life in the coast,” he said.
On the comment of Pratap Simha, MP for Mysuru, on the actor’s use of the names “Prakash Raj” and “Prakash Rai”, Mr. Raj said Mr. Simha had failed to understand that Prakash Raj was his screen name while his actual name was Prakash Rai. “Whatever I have achieved in the field of art, it is because of this soil, the language and the literature. I am a proud son of this coast and Karunadu,” he said.
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