Here are the big stories from Karnataka today

Karnataka Today newsletter: Dasara elephants bid adieu to Mysuru, and more

The 14 elephants that shored up Mysuru Dasara with their impeccable performance bid adieu to the city and left for their respective jungle camps along with their mahouts and kaavadis on October 26, leaving many teary-eyed. Prior to their departure, special prayers were conducted for their collective welfare.

The elephants were in Mysuru since September 1 when the Gajapayana, signalling the countdown to Dasara, was flagged off at Veeranahosahalli in Nagarahole. The elephants, led by Abhimanyu, camped at the Mysuru palace grounds and underwent training for the Jamboo Savari. Though only nine elephants were part of the procession, the remaining were on standby in case of any exigency.

Thirteen persons died when a SUV rammed into a parked tanker on the outskirts of Chikkaballapur, near Bengaluru, on October 26 morning.

The deceased — three women, nine men and a child — were heading from Andhra Pradesh towards Bengaluru when the driver failed to notice the parked tanker and crashed into it. Due to the impact, the SUV was mangled. Passers-by, along with the police, struggled to pull out the victims who were then shifted to a hospital.

As the State celebrates the golden jubilee of being renamed as ‘Karnataka’ from the earlier ‘Mysore State’, Kannada University in Hampi is all set to sign a memorandum of understanding with Padaantaranga Corporation in California, US, to offer a diploma in Kannada language for US students and its citizens.

The three-month course would be offered through online classes with participation of teachers from both sides. The university will charge a minimal fee of about ₹1,000 per student and present the certificate, printed in both Kannada and English.

For urban residents, pets usually mean dogs, cats, or, in some cases, birds. However, an officer from the Postal Department in Bengaluru rears butterflies.