Bengaluru: A temple fest in Mysuru saw a special performance Thursday as Congress leader and former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah performed the Veera Kunitha – a folk dance form – with a troop from his native village of Siddaramanahundi.
Moving his hands in the air with a rhythmic movement of his feet, 73-year-old Siddaramaiah led the dance troop while singing praises to Siddarameshwara – the temple deity. The Congress legislature party leader was named after the temple deity and had received formal training in the art form as a child.
A video of the performance was shared by his son and Congress MLA from Varuna, Yathindra Siddaramaiah.
“The Siddarameshwara temple fest takes place once in three years but it hasn’t been organised for the last six years due to temple construction and Covid. Finally, the festivities started Thursday midnight. Father danced with our village troop after being asked by his friends and fans,” Yathindra told The Print.
This isn’t the first time Siddaramaiah has shown off his dance moves. During the Congress party’s ‘Bellary chalo‘ padayatra in 2010 against illegal mining in Karnataka, Siddaramaiah grabbed headlines with his energetic performance of the Veeragase – another folk dance form native to the state. The padayatra eventually laid the foundation for his elevation as chief minister in 2013.
“Father was sent to the temple to learn the Veera Kunitha as a child. In fact, he learnt his alphabets from his dance teacher in the temple. His formal schooling began later, only after his admission to Class 5 directly,” Yathindra said.
(Edited by Monami Gogoi)
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