A colourful procession comprising folk troupes and tableaux was taken out through the main thoroughfares of the city as part of the 538th Kanakadasa Jayanti celebrations on Saturday.The procession was flagged off from the Kote Anjaneya Temple near the North Gate of Mysuru palace in the presence of dignitaries and reached Kalamandira, where glowing tributes were paid to the revered saint-poet from the 16th century.MLA for Narasimharaja Tanveer Sait regretted that people today were not following the ideals of great saints and thinkers, which was leading to a decline of values in the society.The philosophical principles taught by figures like Kanakadasa were essential for building an equal and just society, Mr. Sait said.MLA for Chamaraja Harish Gowda emphasised the importance of adopting the essence of Kanakadasa’s devotional songs or ‘keertanas’ in our lives. He also suggested that the ‘keertanas’ of Kanakadasa, which were written in old Kannada, be translated into contemporary Kannada and made accessible to people from all communities.Shivanandapuri Swami of Kaginele Mutt said that many great souls had taken birth to uplift ‘dharma’ and remove injustice from the society. Each one of them, during their time, had fought for equality, he said, but regretted that minorities, people from backward classes, and Dalits were still fighting for their rights today. “This is due to the weaknesses prevalent within these communities,” he said.Jnanaprakash Swami of Uralingapeddi Mutt described Kanakadasa as a precious jewel of the literary world who presented revolutionary thoughts. “We must see Kanakadasa through his writings and not just through the processions,” he said. The principles of the Indian Constitution can be seen in his ‘keertanas’, Jnanaprakash Swami stated, while adding that Kanakadasa was a great scholar who was not subservient to anyone.D. Thimmaiah, C.N. Manje Gowda, and K. Shivakumar, MLCs; Ramappa, State Bhovi Development Corporation Chairman; Rangaswamy, Zoo Authority of Karnataka Chiarman, G. Lakshmikant Reddy, Deputy Commissioner of Mysuru; Yukesh Kumar, Mysuru Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer; and others were present at the event organised jointly by the Mysuru district administration, Department of Kannada and Culture, and the Mysuru City Corporation.Published - November 08, 2025 08:00 pm IST