Mumbai: Dahi Handi festival is being celebrated in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra on Tuesday on the occasion of Krishna Janmashtami, the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna. During the festival, ‘Govinda’ or Dahi Handi participants form a human pyramid by climbing on top of each other to break the ‘Dahi Handi’ (earthen pot filled with curd) hanging at a height.
According to the belief, Lord Krishna loved curd and butter in his childhood. Hence, devotees relive his childhood days through Dahi Handi after Krishna Janmashtami. Dahi Handis decorated with flowers are hung several feet above the ground at many residential societies, roads, squares and public grounds across the city.
Colourfully dressed Govindas are seen travelling in trucks, tempos, buses and two-wheelers to break the Dahi Handi in different parts of the city. In the last few years, some Dahi Handi events organised by politicians in Mumbai and its metropolitan areas of Thane, Kalyan, Navi Mumbai and Panvel have become famous due to the huge prize money, celebrity attendance and entertainment programmes organised there. These events draw huge crowds and a steady flow of Govindas.
The beats of traditional drums and tunes of popular film songs are keeping the festive spirit alive in every nook and corner of the city, especially in the Marathi-dominated areas of Mumbai, including Parel, Lalbaug, Worli, Dadar, Bhandup, Mulund, Goregaon and Andheri.
A police official said that a large number of police personnel have been deployed in Mumbai for the Dahi Handi festival on Tuesday. He said, “More than 11 thousand personnel have been deployed to maintain security and law and order. Apart from Deputy Commissioners of Police of all zones and Additional Commissioners of Police of the areas, constables and inspector level officers from police stations will be present on the spot to monitor and enforce the security arrangements. ”