4 days ago
I-Day celebrations in Kalaburagi cut short amid mourning for Sharanabasavappa Appa
The 79th Independence Day celebrations in Kalaburagi were a subdued affair on Friday, as the city mourned the passing of Sharanabasavappa Appa, the eighth Mahadasoha Peetadhipathi of the Sharanabasaveshwara Samsthan. The district administration curtailed the official programme to less than 20 minutes as a mark of respect to the revered spiritual leader.
The Independence Day celebrations began at 9 a.m. at the Police Parade Grounds, where District In-charge Minister Priyank Kharge, who also holds the portfolios of Rural Development, Panchayat Raj, and IT-BT, hoisted the national flag. He then took the ceremonial salute in an open jeep, inspecting the parade formed by 16 contingents, including the Civil Police, KSRP 6th Battalion, Bharat Seva Dal, NCC cadets from the Army Pre-Recruitment Training School, Home Guards, Forest Department, Fire and Emergency Services, and students from various schools.
The event departed from tradition in more ways than one. There were no speeches outlining the government's achievements, no tableaux or cultural programmes by schoolchildren, and no formal inauguration of new government vehicles. After the parade and a brief moment of silence in honour of Appa, Minister Priyank returned to the dais, conferred briefly with local legislators, and the emcees announced the conclusion of the programme.
'Since Sharanabasavappa Appa attained Lingaikya (union with the divine), we decided to keep the celebrations purely symbolic,' Minister Priyank later told reporters.
The occasion drew the presence of several public representatives and senior officials, including MLAs Allamprabhu Patil and Kaneez Fatima, Nijasharana Ambigar Chowdayya Development Corporation Chairman Baburao Chinchansur, MLCs Tippannappa Kamakanur and Jagadev Guttedar, Mayor Varsha Jane, Deputy Mayor Tripti Lakhe, Kalaburagi Urban Development Authority Chairman Mazhar Alam Khan, Regional Commissioner Zaheera Naseem, IGP (Northeast Range) Shantanu Sinha, KKRDB Secretary Nalin Atul, Deputy Commissioner B. Fouzia Taranum, ZP CEO Bhanwar Singh Meena, Municipal Commissioner Avinash Shinde, KKRTC MD B. Sushila, Police Commissioner S.D. Sharanappa, Superintendent of Police, Adduru Srinivasulu, and other senior administrative officers.
Students, members of the public, and uniformed personnel filled the stands in silent solidarity.
The otherwise solemn day was briefly interrupted by an incident en route to the venue, when a car carrying a Congress leader from Minister Kharge's convoy rammed into a barricade near Kanya Girls' High School. The impact badly damaged the bonnet, headlamp, and bumper, though no injuries were reported. The Minister's vehicle had already moved ahead. The driver, who reportedly did not notice the barricade placed to regulate traffic, resumed the journey to the Parade Grounds after a brief halt.
The shortened celebrations stood in stark contrast to the usual pomp of Independence Day in the city, but for Kalaburagi, the day's spirit was defined less by speeches and parades and more by the collective mourning of a spiritual leader whose influence touched countless lives.
