State to worship demons on January 26

BANGALORE: “Bhootaaraadane” — a ritual of worshipping demons widely practised in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi — is the theme of Karnataka’s tableau which will be part of the Republic Day Parade on January 26 in the nation’s capital.Government sources told Express here on Friday that of the five themes sent by the state to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) , the authorities selected Bhootaaraadane. The other four themes were Gol Gumbaz, Hampi’s ruins, Jog Falls and Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary. “Selecting Bhootaaradane, as the state’s tableau has nothing to do with Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda, who also hails from D-K district. The MoD — which is the overall in-charge of the RD Parade — will decide keeping in view the ethos of Indian tradition,” a top official explained. In the 2011 Republic Day Parade, Karnataka’s tableau highlighted Bidri culture which bagged the second place in the All-India competition. “Work on the tabluea with Bhootaaradane theme has already started in Delhi. Our officials are striving to ensure that it gets first place,” sources said.