StatesKarnataka
Karnataka marks 70th Rajyotsava; Siddaramaiah leads school celebration at Kanteerava
More than 20,000 schoolchildren are expected at the stadium in Bengaluru, and schools across the state have been told not to skip the day because it falls on a Sunday.
Key points
- Karnataka celebrates its 70th Kannada Rajyotsava on Sunday.
- Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is chief guest as over 20,000 schoolchildren gather at Kanteerava Stadium.
- Traffic near the stadium is diverted via Hudson Junction and Residency Road.
Karnataka celebrates its 70th Kannada Rajyotsava today, with schoolchildren at the centre of the state-level celebration. The Department of Public Instruction is holding the state-level programme at Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru, with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah as chief guest.
More than 20,000 pupils are expected, arriving in 300 to 400 school buses. The day marks 1 November 1956, when the Kannada-speaking regions were brought together in what was then Mysore State. The state took the name Karnataka in 1973.
No day off for schools
The Sunday has not let schools off the hook. The School Education and Literacy Department has told government, aided and unaided private primary and high schools, including those in Bengaluru, to celebrate on 1 November itself. Schools “should not shift the programme to another day”, the department said, and headmasters have been asked to arrange cultural programmes, Kannada songs and speeches.
Roads to avoid
Bengaluru Traffic Police expect heavy congestion around the stadium and have announced diversions and parking curbs. Vehicles coming from Nrupathunga Road and N R Road through Police Corner and HLD Junction towards Richmond Junction and M G Road must turn right at HLD Junction. They will then go through Hudson Junction, Devanga Junction, the Mission Road flyover and Residency Road.
Karnataka shares the date with Keralam, which turns 70 today, as well as Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Haryana.