Pradeep Kumar Kalkura, president of the Kalkura Foundation, addressing a press conference in Mangaluru on Friday.
| Photo Credit: H.S. MANJUNATH
The annual Sri Krishna Vesha competition, organised by the Kalkura Prathishtana, will be held across 44 categories at the Kadri Manjunatha Temple on the occasion of Krishna Janmashtami on September 4. Three events will be held at Sharada Vidyalaya on Sunday.Addressing reporters in Mangaluru on Friday, Pradeep Kumar Kalkura, president of the Prathishtana, said the event is being conducted as a children’s festival, with participants dressing up in different costumes to portray the deity. The competition will be held across eight stages at the temple.The events include ‘Tottilu Krishna’, where family members can place infants up to six months in a cradle. There will also be ‘Nanda Krishna’ for children aged between six and 12 months, ‘Muddu Krishna’ for those aged between one and two years, and ‘Thunta Krishna’ for children between two and three years. A separate ‘Bala Krishna’ event will be held for around 200 children studying in anganwadis and Lower Kindergarten.‘Kishore Krishna’ will be held for children in UKG and Class 1, and the ‘Shri Krishna’ event for students from Classes 2 to 4. In the ‘Geeta Krishna’ event, students up to Class 7 must enact the Geetopadesha scene in Krishna costume and chant a verse from any chapter of the Bhagavad Gita.‘Radha Krishna’ will be held for students up to Class 7 and ‘Radha Madhava’ for children above Class 7. Mothers can participate with their young child in ‘Yashoda Krishna’, or along with their daughter and granddaughter in ‘Devaki Krishna’. Men can participate with their children in ‘Vasudeva Krishna’.Children up to Class 10 can participate in ‘Yaksha Krishna’, where contestants must dance in the Tenku or Badagutittu Yakshagana style and deliver a dialogue. Open categories include ‘Krishna Kuchela’, ‘Nanda Gokula’, ‘Pandarapura Vittala’, and ‘Sudhama Krishna’.Children up to Class 7 and those above Class 7 can participate in ‘Shankhanada’ and ‘Shankhaudghosha’ respectively, where they must wear traditional attire and blow the conch. A drawing competition, ‘Shri Krishna Varna Vaibhava’, alongside ‘Quiz Achyutha’ and ‘Krishna Photography’ will also be conducted.At Sharada Vidyalaya on Sunday, ‘Shri Krishna Gana Vaibhava’, ‘Shri Krishna Rangoli’, and ‘Krishna Katha’ will take place.Three events — ‘Vriksha Krishna’, ‘Gopala Krishna’, and ‘Reels Krishna’ — will be held online. All participants will receive an idol of Udupi Kadagolu Krishna, a storybook on Lord Krishna, and a copy of the Bhagavad Gita, Mr. Kalkura said. Published - August 28, 2026 07:09 pm IST
