Mumbai: Govindas lie low, literally, to protest against Supreme Court order

Onlookers in Dadar were in for a surprise on Thursday morning — Govindas belonging to a pathak had formed a horizontal human pyramid, an occurrence taking place for the first time. The Konkan Nagar Govinda Pathak from Jogeshwari East came up with this unique way to protest against the SC ruling — a nine-tier horizontal human pyramid. Coach of the pathak Prasad Khadpe said: "We did not want to disrespect the order given by the apex court, hence this silent protest from our side without violating the rules. Govindas in the city could not showcase their best performance this year due to the restriction."

The pathak has over 282 Govindas, who have been practising for more than two months. "We decided to protest after the verdict on August 17. But we had hoped that after one pathak submitted a plea, there was a possibility of a result in our favour." The unique protest was carried out in all the locations the pathak was supposed to visit — 10-odd mandals across Dadar, Borivli and Thane.

"Many organisers backed out from organising Dahi Handi this year; as a result, we had to search for places to perform. But protest aside, we made four-tier vertical pyramids to respect the festival," the coach said. Beside this pathak, others too came up with their own ideas to protest against the SC order. Govindas in several areas across the city raised black flags. Some pathaks also performed by climbing on a ladder to break the Handi.