Dahi Handi celebrated with gusto in Mumbai

Mumbai, Sep 4 (UNI) Janmashtami, which is celebrated on two consecutive days -- the day when Krishna was born, and the day when he was brought to Gokul by his father Vasudeva, was celebrated with religious fervour and gaiety in the commercial capital of the country with chants of ''Govinda Ala Re'' ranting the air.

This year's Dahi Handi celebrations, where an earthen pot hung 20-30 feet from the ground with the help of a rope is broken by a human pyramid, saw the police throwing a security blanket to stop any untoward incident from happening in light of the recent bomb blasts in Hyderabad.

An euphoric atmosphere prevailed in Mumbai with young boys making their own teams of their ''mandals'' and trying their level best to break as many ''handis'' as possible and, of course, earning the prize money for their feat. It is a popular belief among devotees that the broken pieces of the pot, if kept in the house, will help keep away negative powers and rats.

This Janmashtami, Dahi Handi celebrations in the city saw two NCP leaders taking political potshot (quite literally!) at the Dahi Handis -- Worli's MLA Sachin Ahir and Thane's legislator Jitendra Avhad.

Avhad had hosted a 51-foot high (the highest ever) Dahi Handi with a 11-tier human pyramid in Thane. Apart from the prize money of Rs 51 lakh, audiences were also be treated to performances by DJ Aqeel and a 15-minute ramp-cum-dance show by Terence Lewis.

Ahir, on the other hand, had formed a 40-foot high 9-tier human pyramid with the first chance of breaking the ''handi'' being given to a girl band.

Among the prizes up for grabs, if a five-tier human pyramid succeeded in breaking a ''dahi handi'', it would fetch a prize of Rs 5,000 while a six-tier one would get Rs 7,000. A nine-tier pyramid would win a Hero Honda bike.

Among the other celebrations of Janmashtami, included a number of ceremonies like Raslila, Jhankis (tableaux), and others. Dahi Handi is an enactment of Lord Krishna's efforts to steal butter from ''Matka (earthen pot)'' suspended from the ceiling.

Dahi Handi which was popular in the north was brought to Mumbai by the freedom fighter Lokmanya Tilak in the 19th century.

''This year's prize money is Rs 11 lakh. In fact all those who participate will get some cash prize and even that will be the highest in Mumbai,'' said Jitendra Awhad, NCP Leader.

But the NCP is only a new entrant to the game. Commercialising Dahi handi was started by the Shiv Sena in the late 90s.

Organisers have also got participants insured in the event they suffer injuries or lose their lives.

The Maharashtra tourism department has also sensed an opportunity this year and had sent invitations to officials from various consulates so as to attract foreign tourists to this festival.

UNI