Tunga Aarati was held as part of a campaign to clean Tungabhadra river, in Shivamogga on November 10, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Tunga Aarati, an event resembling Ganga Aarati in Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, was held on the bank of Tungabhadra in Shivamogga as part of an on-going campaign for a clean the river. On November 10, a group of priests clad in saffron performed aarati (prayer using lamps) to the river. The synchronised offering served as a visual treat to the gathering.
The event began with blowing a conch shell, which is a custom to herald the inauguration of the ritual. Under the guidance of head priest Ram Prasad, the priest burnt camphor, followed by offering ‘aarati’ with pyramidal oil lamps, which was the significant part of the ritual.
The audience could be seen searching for vantage points to get a better view of the event. Many were busy capturing the sight on their mobile phones and cameras.
Tunga River Front Park was illuminated for the occasion.
Abhinava Shankar Bharathi, swamy of Kudali Sringeri mutt, people leading the Nirmala Tungabhadra Abhiyana, Shivamogga MLA S.N. Channabasappa, legislators D.S. Arun and Dr. Dhananjay Sarji, and Paryavaran Trust president Prof. B.M. Kumaraswamy were among the participants at the event.
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Aarati was held in the presence of Abhinava Shankar Bharathi, swamy of Kudali Sringeri mutt, people leading the Nirmala Tungabhadra Abhiyana, Shivamogga MLA S.N. Channabasappa, legislators D.S. Arun and Dr. Dhananjay Sarji, and Paryavaran Trust president Prof. B.M. Kumaraswamy.
The seer, in his address, said everyone should take the responsibility of protecting rivers. “Water bodies had been polluted in recent years due to overuse of chemicals in agriculture.”
Shivamogga MLA S.N. Channabasappa said that the campaign aims to keep the river clean. He appreciated the efforts of people and students involved in the padayatra from Sringeri to Harihar.
Aarati on one bank of Tunga river with municipal waste on the other
Municipal waste ends up in Tunga river in Shivamogga. Environmentalists are organising a padayatra to clean Tungabhadra river in the district.
| Photo Credit:
Sathish G.T.
While the campaign to keep the Tunga clean is on in Shivamogga district, municipal waste and filthy water continue to end up in the river in the heart of the city. Even as Tunga Aarati was going on at the River Front Park on the river’s bank, municipal waste continued to pile up on the other end of the bank, and waste water got mixed with the river water.
A few yards away from Korpalayyana Mantapa, where the aarati was held, is a drain that carries waste water and is connected to the river. Nobody can miss a mini dumping yard of municipal waste close to the river.
“What is the point in having Tunga Aarati if we cannot stop waste water from reaching the river?” said S. Anand, a morning walker at the park on November 11.
The riverfront park has been developed under the smart city project. Every day, many residents of the city visit the park and make use of the walking and cycling paths. Some of them expressed anger over the bursting of crackers as part of the Tunga Aarati.
“Tunga Aarati was held as part of a campaign to clean the river. But, by bursting so many crackers, the organisers polluted air. In my view, bursting of crackers is against the basic objective of the campaign. There was no need to pollute the air as part of an event to keep the river clean,” said Vinayaka, a resident of Kote Street in Shivamogga.
Published – November 11, 2024 01:23 pm IST
