Dahi Handi celebration during Gokulashtami is quite popular in Maharashtra and especially in Thane, due to its high profile Dahi Handis with huge prize money.
After initiating a signature campaign to save festivals like Dahi Handi, which may get extinct due to legal limitations, the Sarvajanik Dahi Handi Samanvay Samiti has warned of non-participation, if their demands are not meted out.
Dahi Handi celebration during Gokulashtami is quite popular in Maharashtra and especially in Thane, due to its high profile Dahi Handis with huge prize money. However, with legal limitations on the age of participants, usage of safety gears, tiers of human pyramid, among others, the celebrations have been low key affair since last year.
"We have submitted our demands to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, asking him to relax the legal norms," said Rakesh Yadav, secretary of the Samiti, which has over 70 govinda pathaks (groups), as members. These pathaks form human pyramids and break Dahi Handis that are hosted across Mumbai, Thane and Vashi. "If they do not meet our demands, then we may not participate in any of the Dahi Handis," he warned.
Dahi Handis have been a big affair in Thane, with politicians like Pratap Sarnaik, Jitendra Awhad and Ravindra Phatak, hoisting them. In fact in 2012, Guinness Book of World Record was created at Thane's Sanskruti Yuva Pratishthan Dahi Handi, where tallest human pyramid about 43.79 feet, which is nine tier, was created by Jai Jawan Govinda Mandal of Jogeshwari .
However, due to legal limitations, the organisers are now shifting to low key celebrations. In fact NCP's Jitindra Awhad even cancelled Dahi Handi this year. Others say that they will adhere to court's ruling and celebrate accordingly.
With huge prize money at stake, the govinda pathaks now want these limitations to be revoked. They say that this prize money helps them to undertake social work which they now will not be able to do.
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