Politicians stealing the fun: Dahi Haandi. Every year, come season of Janmashtami, and not just Mumbai but all the towns and cities all over India gear up for Dahi Handi. To imitate the naughty mischiefs of the Divine Cowherd and his comrades who used to sneak into the locked hutments of milkmaids and break down the buttermilk pots purposely hung at inaccessible points, less for relishing butter and milk and more to create trouble for the damsels of Gokul, are replicated all over India by young “Govindas” who form human pyramids high up to ten storeys of human height to break up a traditional Dahi Handi. Being a sports person myself and a “Govinda” in my own childhood, I can imagine well how the rush of raw adrenaline makes one feel when the pyramid stands erect and the sound of breaking of the Handi reaches the eagerly awaiting ears. The sensation closely resembles the feel of a dive down an extremely deep well during the festivity of Sanjao, or the thrill of speeding a Bullet at 120 Km/Hr. or the current across the spine while finding oneself amidst in the deep waters of Mandovi or Zuari with no land in sight. Dahi Handi originally began in Mumbai during the days when the port city was a hub of Textile Mills, producing finest quality of garment to give a mighty competition to the yarn produced by Manchester, Liverpool, Lancashire and London. The hands which produced such a beautiful and fine quality of yarn came all the way from the villages of Konkan, who lived clumped together in “Kholis” of numerous “Chawls” dotting the suburbs of Parel, Lalbag, Worli, Dadar, Prabhadevi and Matunga. The youth sprouting from these Chawls possessed the rustic spirit of Konkan villages, hardened and toughened by the life in a burning inferno that Mumbai was and is, with its ultra demanding and ultra busy life, with no time for leisure and rest, making every opportunity for fun and frolic a diamond worth grabbing with both hands. Youths clumped in one room houses in dingy Chawls found an expression of freedom, an experience of thrill and unlimited touch of adventure in the heroic acts of breaking Dahi Handi, formation of human pyramids where number of participants sometimes cross 150, and the experience of being a victor with the cracking the Handi a hundred feet above in air. But this fun, enthusiasm, adventure, and thrill has a darker side as well, almost unnoticed by the participants as well as onlookers, and notoriously exploited by the one class which can be termed as the real black spot over the existence of entire Civilized Humanity. Yes. Politicians. Democracy grants absolute power, which absolutely corrupts our “Bharat Bhagya Vidhatas” to a point where they cease to remain human beings anymore and are spiritually transformed into vultures which flock together for a feast on a highway as soon as an unfortunate puppy meets its fate under the wheels of a speeding truck. Today, almost all the Dahi Handis in Mumbai are sponsored by the petty politicians, big and small, corporators and MLAs, MPs and MLCs, Opposition walas as well as Powerwalas from Shiv Sena, NCP, Congress and BJP. Each Dahi Handi has a prize of scors of Lakhs of Rupees sponsored by these shame on humanity creatures, and obviously, this flood of money does not comes from their own hard earned money, but by the unbound loot and rapine of Government exchequer by corrupt means, crime and other dirty sources. Earlier Govindas used to work hard day and night to win a name for their “Mandals” and enjoy the sensation of victory in their own localities. But with politics and politician and his dirty money coming into picture, neta sponsored Govinda Mandals have started hiring trucks and buses for the day, roaming around whole belt of Mumbai Thane, struggling relentlessly against the time to attend as many Dahi Handis as possible from dawn to dusk. At every venue, a Mandal which is able to successfully form just a pyramid above ten floor receives a cash prize ranging from 5 to 10 lakhs of Rupees. The ones who break the Handi are one day kings showered with gold all over….. In a gluttony of grabbing as much gold as possible from dawn to dusk, the mandals are in a super hurried mind state, super tired physical condition and deeply under the influence of mental anxiety while performing a task as dangerous as forming a ten story high human pyramid. Naturally, the lightest ones are supposed to be at the summit, while the sturdiest ones form the base of the Pyramid. But even the human endeavor has a limit. One cannot expect them to keep on doing this circus successfully for ten to fifteen times all over the day all over Mumbai. There are accidents, broken bones, internal injuries, spinal cord damages and even deaths every year in attempts of earning a name and a quick buck all in a day. No politician cares to visit these middle class and lower middle class children and youngsters once they fall from fame, who roam around the city whole day, dancing all the way wearing cheap T Shirts and Baniyans gifted by their “Bhaus” and “Sahebs”. Another example of how low these politicians can stoop to gain cheap publicity. With no future ahead with a broken arm or leg, these unfortunate “Govindas” with permanently broken limbs, spinal cord damages and brain injuries lead a miserable life all their remaining days, cursing the moment their fate cheated them and converted them from healthy enthusiastic youngsters to crippled for life invalids, dependent upon their family even for a glass of water and for two time meals. The crowds disappear, the music and noise of drums fade into silence, the ministers and Netas come, visit and disappear, and after all the ruckus, the lonely Govinda is left alone to fend for himself a life of perpetual struggle. Life continues in Mumbai. It never stops. Govindas come and go. Dahi Handis become manifold expensive year after year. The corporators become MLAs, and MLAs become MPs, MPs become ministers….. and the crippled for life paralyzed Govinda from his bed watches his son getting set for the new dahi handi, advising him to the extend of shouting his throat out… “DON’T BE TOO CRASS……REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR BABA………….."
Posted on: Thu, 29 Aug 2013 08:52:06 +0000
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