Time to smash the handi again!

After a hiatus of two years, the Govindas in Mumbai are now all set for dahi handi as the Maharashtra government has lifted pandemic curbs across the city for the celebration

After a hiatus of two years, the Govindas in Mumbai are now all set for dahi handi as the Maharashtra government has lifted pandemic curbs across the city for the celebration.

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Rakesh Yadav, association member of Thanyacha Raja in Thane says, “We are very happy with the government’s move to lift all the restrictions around the dahi handi celebration. Our boys are pumped up to get back to the game.This year, our target is to ensure 0% injury among the team and just enjoy the day.”

On the other hand, Sandeep Dhawale, head coach of the Jai Jawaan Govinda Pathak in Jogeshwari, shares, “Due to Covid-19, a lot of boys lost their jobs and were reluctant to come for practice. But somehow, we motivated them to join us and we are glad to see them back to doing our iconic eight-nine layers of pyramid.”

For such groups, the rivalry within the tradition is what keeps the festive spirit going. Nitesh Shelar of Shivdarshan Govinda Pathak in Santacruz, explains, “Just when the news broke that dahi handi is back this year, we got excited to witness how it will come back with the magical rivalry in the tradition. We are eager to see who will break records this year and with how many levels of pyramid.”

Dhawale further adds, “Our Govindas did community service by collecting plastics lying across the city which was recycled and the money collected from it was donated towards the education of orphan children in Jogeshwari.”

For Khairnar, it is a sign of positivity after a long spread of negativity. “The team is positive after the negativity spread in the past two years. And now, there is a different josh, after the government encouraged us to get back to the festive celebrations,” he reveals.