Scion’s absence robs fete of grandeur 

Mysore (Karnataka): The famous 10-day Dussehra festival celebrations in this ‘city of palaces’ were on a low-key in the absence of scion Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar, who passed away last December in Bangalore.  For the first time in many years, the royal family was forced to place the royal sword on the golden throne on which the scion used to sit and conduct the festival rituals in the Amba Vilas Palace durbar since he succeeded his father and last Mysore Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar in 1974.