Mumbai, August 13: A unanimous decision by political parties to cancel Mumbai’s Dahi Handi events, which see tens of thousands of people gathering at street corners to watch truckloads of Govindas forming human pyramids in an attempt to win huge prizes, could come to nought with the organisers of a Ghatkopar Dahi Handi, which promises this year’s largest prize money at Rs 25 lakh, refusing to toe the line.
The Shiv Sena and the NCP, whose members organise some of the most popular Dahi Handi events, decided to cancel their events in view of directives against large public gatherings owing to the H1N1 scare, but Ghatkopar’s Ram Kadam Mitra Mandal will defy the parties’ diktat. What’s more, the organisers have also invited at least 12 mandals from Pune, which is reeling under the influenza outbreak.
Kadam, a businessman and social worker from Ghatkopar, said all due precautions would be taken. “We got calls from people requesting us not to cancel. We do not want to discourage the Govindas and their month-long preparation by cancelling the event,” Kadam said.
He added that the handi would be placed high so that pyramids of at least 10 or 11 levels are required. “Last year, a record was created by setting nine levels. We want to break that record and set at least 10,” he said. “We know that there is swine flu in Pune but around 12 mandals from there have approached us and will be coming to the city. We have said no to participants with symptoms of swine flu.”
Despite the high stakes — polls are approaching and it is estimated that politicians dole out an estimated cumulative Rs 2 crore for Mumbai’s dahi handi events — political parties called off the mega events on Wednesday morning. NCP legislator Jitendra Awhad met Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray and took a collective decision to cancel events organised by politicians. The Congress, the BJP and the MNS also agreed to cancel their events.
Awhad, who had announced a Rs 21 lakh prize, will only conduct a puja and said his handi would be broken by local youths with minimum fanfare. Sena leader Pratap Sarnaik who had roped in celebrity singers and had announced Rs 11 lakh in prizes along with former Thane mayor Rajan Vichare, Congress leader Bal Purnekar and Manoj Shinde all announced cancellations.
In Mumbai, the NCP’s Sachin Ahir who organises an event through the Sankalp Pratishthan in Worli, the Bharatiya Vidyarthi Sena that organises a handi at Sena Bhavan and others have cancelled. “No Sena leader will organise a handi. We may decide to have dahi handi by the end of the year when the swine flu effects are down,” said BVS president Abhijeet Panse.
–Agencies