Mangaluru: Karnataka legislative assembly speaker UT Khader said that a mega agricultural fair and Mudipu Utsava will be held at Sri Krishna Dhyana Mandira in Mudipu on April 24, 25 and 26.Khader told reporters on Monday that the festival will be organised under his leadership through the Mudipu Utsava Samiti, Krishika Samaja Ullal and UT Fareed Charitable Foundation Trust in his constituency. While the Sri Krishna Dhyana Mandira is a prominent tourist destination, Mudipu also has its own significance as an agricultural village. The festival was organised to promote the village as a tourism destination and to promote agriculture, he said.Agriculture minister N Cheluvarayaswamy, health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao and Dakshina Kannada MP Capt Brijesh Chowta will be the guests at the inaugural ceremony to be held at 9.30am on April 24. Khader said Madan Mohan Naik Adekala, founder of Mudipu Sri Krishna Dhyana Mandira, will be honoured with the Seva Dhurandhara Award. Minister for women and child development Laxmi Hebbalkar will be the guest at a ceremony to be held to honour the achiever on April 25. A valedictory ceremony will be held at 5.30pm on April 26, he added.Mudipu Utsava working president Devadas Bhandary said that a ‘guddagadu ota’ (trail running) and swachh Mudipu campaign will be held as part of the festival on April 22. A sari walk and painting competition will be held on April 24. Ansarul Masakin Daf Samiti will present a daf performance, while St Joseph Vaz Church members will present a dance drama on the birth of Jesus Christ on April 25. A bhajana sankeertana, kite festival, mehndi competition, cooking without fire, food festival, health camp, yakshagana and other cultural programmes will be the other highlights of the festival, he added.
