Go Go Go Govinda……
Some festivals celebrated in India are festivals
with mass appeal and are a celebration of human spirit . One such festival is
the Dahi Kala or the Gopal Kala celebrated just after Krishna Janmashtami. A
festival which replicates the the mischievous aspect of lord Krishna and his
Gwala’s in stealing Maakhan or the butter from pots stored at heights in kitchens of the Gopi’s in Vrindavan. An act of total team work and co-ordination
and skill.
During my
childhood the local man–servants or to be politically correct house helpers
would start practicing for this Dahi kala nearly a month in advance. Vargani or
donations for the dahi handi and the prize money would be collected from each
family in the housing society and the buildings nearby where they worked. A
small sum was spent on getting the earthen pot / dahi handi which was filled
with coloured water , a little dahi to symbolize the maakhan , some fruits and
some flowers would be tied to the matki. This was then hoisted using ropes
which would be tied betwwen two adjacent buildings on the day of Gopal Kala.
The matki would be hanging from the 2nd floor of these buildings.
Right
from morning various professional Dahi Handi mandals would roam the streets of
Matunga to burst these handi’s and collect the prize money. The most expensive
and tallest handi would in Aggarwal Nagar a building complex to just next to
our building. They would have 3 handi’s with a total prize money worth Rs.15,000/-
a princely sum in those days. Professional mandals from as far as Chembur and
Parel used to visit and try their hand at bursting them. The dahi handi mandals
would arrive in trucks accompanied by traditional dhol –tasha or banjo bands.
Dancing to the tunes of Govinda Aala Re , Aala Jara Matki Sambhal brij bala
…..It was great fun watching these groups form the perfect human pyramids with
3 or 4 layers . The crowd cheering them , some from their balconies , some from
the terraces would cheer and simultaneously throw water balloons or colored
water on them to make the task even more difficult. But by sheer determination
and will power they would hold on to each other and balance each other to make
the human pyramids. Then the most smallest member usually a kid of 7-10 years
would climb to the top of the pyramids and burst the handi by picking the
coconut from the handi and let the dahi and other stuff flow on his team mates.
With the money collected the celebration would continue . From one society to
the other these groups would move all day and streets would be filled with
sounds of cheers and music .
The small
dahi handi which was tied in our society with a small prize money of few
thousand would be ignored by these dahi handi mandals . Or some groups would
ask us to lower the handi , but we would not lower it. It was a custom that
this handi would be burst by our loyal house helpers every year. They would
arrive after completing their regular domestics task by around late afternoon.
A motely crowd of 10 to 12 would start building the human pyramid. All of us
children would rush to the building terrace and throw water filled balloons on
them . A loud round of cheer and applause would go around when they completed
the pyramid upto 3 layers. Sometimes due to lack of practice unlike
professional mandal someone from the in between layers would wobble and then
the whole pyramid would collapse. Though no one would be injured a huge and
collective sigh would resonate amon the watchers. In true sporting spirit they
would start all over again. This time they would get the pyramid right. One of
the kids of these house help would climb the shoulders and reach the top. With
cries of Hathi Goda Palkhi Jai Kanaihya lal ki cheering along the kid would
burst the handi . The rope would be lowered and the small sum of prize money
would be equally distributed among the group. Happy at getting this extra money
they dance rejoice and then go home.
The tradition has restarted in our society from last year with one of our neighbor's Mrs.Smita Kotak or Kotak Aunty for all in the building egging the children to try their hand at this dahi handi. A group has been formed of all the children mostly girls Soumya , Prisha , Riya ,Risha Khushi & Muskaan and that includes my darling daughter Netra and a few boys Neel and Arav in ages from 8 -12 and encouraged by their super moms Mridula , Foram, Himali and off course my wife Kashmira. The group has been named "Gully Friends" and they practice rigorously few days just before Gopa Kala. And on the day of the Dahi Handi amidst all the shouts of Govinda Ala re ala and Haathi Goda Palkhi Jai Kanhaiya Lal Ki from the parents they form the perfect pyramid of 2 layers and burst the Handi filled with chocolates. And then there is a mad scramble to collect these chocolates and have the largest share. All this is followed up by a nice nashta of Jalebi & Fafda and rounds of Mazaa and Sprite.......A great start to the day and festive season.....
Today the
small happiness and the traditional ritual is lost among the highly publicized
and politically backed dahi handi’s in the neibourhood. With prize money of few
Lakhs the whole affair is taken over by the local corporators . Handis are tied
to ropes and hoisted by cranes to reach an impossible height . Mandals need to
form human pyramids of 6-7 layers risking their arms and limbs to break these
handi’s and claim the hefty prize money. The celebration turning into vulgar
display of power and money. Accompanying loud music belting out from those
humongous speakers with DJ’s playing out Yo Yo Honey Singh or Mika’s Punjabi
numbers shattering the peace of a small
locality like Matunga.
The roads
leading to the Matunga Market are totally blocked with the crowds exploding on
to the streets.
Some
where the fun and the right spirit seems lost. I would rather have the dahi
handi celebrated in traditional style of yore.
With
judiciary getting into the thick of things putting a cap on the heights of
handi’s and restricting the decibels of
sound generated by the accompanying bands / DJ’s this year , lets hope
this special festival is celebrated in the right spirit , that of human team
work and overcoming of challenges in life by sheer determination.
Go Go Go Govinda……
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