Govindas in Mumbai rise above prize, enjoy dahi handi celebration
Low prize money failed to deter the spirit of participants, who were happy with no height restrictions
Govindas followed Lord Krishna’s path to not worry about the result of their work and just enjoyed the festival. Despite the fact that prize money for dahi handi events was either reduced or not declared, all they cared about was making the most of the festival that now had no height restrictions.
On August 7, the Bombay high court refused to put any restriction on height of human pyramids while reducing the age limit of govindas to 14 years. Earlier, children below the age of 18 were not allowed to participate, while the height of dahi handis was restricted to 20 feet.
“Though eight-tier pyramids were formed in Kala Chowki and Sena Bhawan, we managed to pull off only six tiers because we couldn’t practice before the HC order. But, we have had a better celebration this year as compared to the last three years,” said Sandeep Mhatre, head of Sai Chaya Govinda Pathak.
Kamlesh Bhoir, secretary of Dahi Handi Samanvay Samiti, the umbrella body of mandals, said there were around 25 big organisers in Mumbai last year, while this year only 10 of them put up a big show. “The reduced prize money did affect the spirit of govindas but organisers were also under pressure as they thought they would otherwise be answerable to Income Tax department and Enforcement Directorate after demonetisation and GST,” Bhoir said.
Some of the mandals said restrictions of previous years led to subdued celebrations this year. Organisers of Sankalp Pratishthan from Thane, known for its grand celebrations, also expressed a similar opinion. “To set up a proper stage, we need a month but the court order came a week ago,” said the organiser.
However, Swati Patil, secretary of NGO Utakarsh Mahila Samajik Sansthaa, that had filed a petition demanding restrictions, pointed out that she came across several cases where the court order had been violated – right from age limit to security measures. “Though there are fewer organisers this year, the number of injuries have gone up, which is why it is absolutely necessary to have a cap on height of the handi. I came across several mandals who had enrolled kids younger than 14, I will be filing a contempt case soon,” said Patil. She also questioned if the govindas who died outside the city would be provided with the insurance amount of Rs10 lakh as was promised by the samiti in court.