Dassera @ Mysore

I had been to Mysore many times before but never during Dassera. There were crowds everywhere, and there was some activity happening everywhere you looked.

After lunch, Vinay & I went to an exhibition called Cava Mela in a famous arts college. The students had put up some very creative stuff, and organised some fun games. We decided to play an observation and memory game called Mind Mixer, which involved spending exactly 1 minute inside a room and then answering 5 questions asked by the organisers.

Vinay went in first, but could manage to answer just one of the 5 questions. But I was there when he was aked those questions, so at least I knew the kind of questions to expect. When my turn came I entered the dimly lit room and was overwhelmed by the sheer number of items in there. It would take someone about half an hour just to get a good look at everything there, but I had just one minute. So I did the best I could before the lights were switched off.

Once outside, my question-answer session began. I don't remember exactly what was asked but I got the first 3 answers right. The fourth question was, "Where was the snake in the room?". Now I didn't even remember seeing a snake in there, so there was no way I could tell where it was. Looking at me fumbling, Vinay came to my aid and whispered, "Near the statue...". Unfortunately, the whisper was loud enough for the guy asking the questions to hear, so he canceled the question itself and ask me a new one. But the smart bugger asked me an extremely tough question that I couldn't answer. I got the last one right, making it 4 correct answers out of 5 questions.

According to the rules of the game, I was eligible for an additional bonus question as I'd got 4 correct answers. The last question was something like, "What was the shape drawn on poster # 4 on the left wall?". I remembered seeing various shapes drawn on 13 posters on the walls, but I simply couldn't recall what was on poster 4. I blindly guessed that it was a vertical straight line, and guess what, it was the right answer!!!

I had done it. I had proved all my critics and detractors wrong. I had achieved what other men only dreamt of. Where others had failed and given up, I had kept the hopes of mankind alive. I had finally arrived. There was nothing more left to be proven. This was truly the pinnacle of human achievement. And for this, they gave me a sapling. Duh!

I gave the sapling to Vinay's Mom, and I think she was glad :)

Vinay & I then went to the Mysore Palace, and reached there just in time to see the Palace light up. We could feel a wave of sudden excitement come over the crowd when the lights came on. Over 27,000 lightbulbs are used to light up the Mysore Palace. Earlier, they used to be normal lightbulbs, that people would steal to use in their own homes. So it was decided that special lightbulbs manufactured exclusively for the palace would be used (these won't fit into the normal sockets present in Indian homes).

<- The lit Mysore Palace

There was an Indian classical music programme going on, and Vinay knew someone in the light and sound console thanks to which we could gain access to the VIP area!

Indian classical music programme ->

Later in the evening, the 4 of us - Vinay's parents, Vinay & I went up Chamundi Hill to check out the lit up city. We also saw from up close the huge "Welcome to Mysore Dassera" sign made from lightbulbs. Roaming around Mysore city on the motorcycle, Vinay showed me all the famous buildings around Mysore, and how well decked up they were for the festive occasion.

We also walked all around within the Greens hotel, and experienced its grandeur. If you're trying to impress a girl, you should take her to the beautiful little coffee shop within the hotel!