Zee Media Bureau/Ajith Vijay Kumar
Mumbai: Chants of ‘Aale Re Aala, Govinda Aala’ reverberated across Mumbai on Thursday as the maximum city got together for the dahi handi festival to celebrate Janamashtami, the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna.
Though dahi handi is celebrated across Maharashtra and many other parts of the country, it is in Mumbai and adjoining areas like Thane that Govinda’s magic charm is at its peak with huge crowds expected at various mandals to take part in the festivities.
The dahi handi festival is organised on the occasion of Janmashtami, the birth of Lord Krishna. About 500 mandals from Mumbai and Thane actively celebrate this festival.
The festival is inspired by the mythological tale of Lord Krishna`s boy-hood trick of stealing butter from a suspended earthen pot.
An earthen pot containing a mixture of milk, dry fruits, ghee is hung around 20-30 feet high in the air with the help of a rope.
`Govindas` form pyramids and stand on top of one another attempting to break the pot even as their efforts are thwarted by water splashed on them by those gathered around.
Over the years exceptionally after political patronage – the festival is being celebrated on a grand scale with ever rising cash prizes for the winning teams.
Add to that the zing that is created by the presence of Bollywood personalities, dahi handi has turned out to be a big money spinner.
On top of the money pyramid is the dahi handi organised by senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Jeetendra Awhad in Thane with Rs 1.11 crore as prize money.
Another senior NACP leader Sachin Ahir’s NGO dahi handi in Jambooree Maidan at Worli also has prize money close to Rs 1 crore.
Not to be left behind, Shiv Sena leader from Sion, Ajay Dadgujar, has announced a prize money of Rs1 crore for the dhandi in the Bandra Kurla Complex.
Superstar Shah Rukh Khan took part in Ahir’s handi festivities and danced to the tunes of his mega hit ‘Chennai Express’.
On the other hand, Bollywood beauty Bipasha Basu will make an appearance at the Akhil Balewadi Dahi Handi Utsav in Pune.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena’s Kishor Shinde is organising an all-girls` dahi handi for the third consecutive year in Kothrud.
Organisers of another poupular handi, theSuvarnayug Mandal, has decided to donate Rs1 lakh to the family of martyr Kundalik Mane, one of the five soldiers of the Indian Army killed by the Pakistani troops in Poonch sector recently.
Nagpur is also soaked in Janamashtami festivities with over 28 prominent dhai handi programmes planned across the city.
