159 'Govindas' of Mumbai injured in Janmashtami dahi handi celebrations

Dahi-handi is an intricate part of Janmashtami celebrations, especially in Mumbai. It is done on the birthday of Lord Krishna who is lovingly called Govinda and, during the dahi handi event, youngsters form human pyramids to reach for the prize money that is stored in the earthen handi (or pot). Lord Krishna's fondness for milk products is legend and the earthen handi contains generous amounts of dahi or curd.
Invariably, climbing the human pyramid to access the 'loot' is fraught with dangers and, this year, 159 Govindas have suffered injuries. Out of the injured, two children, a 12 year-old from Ulhasnagar and a nine-year-old from Kandivli, are battling for life after suffering serious head injuries. And, this is in spite of a Supreme Court order that has imposed certain restrictions on participation of children - those below 18 are barred. However, the event went on and the injured had to be rushed to hospitals with cuts, bruises, blunt trauma and a few with fractures through the day. Out of them 115 were given first aid and discharged.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 26 August 2016.

Incidentally, as a result of the SC directive, the number of those injured was less as compared to previous year- statistics of the BMC reveal that last year, the figure was 364 and this year it is nearly half.
Both the kids who have suffered serious injuries fell from the sixth tier of a human pyramid. One of them was not provided safety harnesses which aggravated his injuries.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


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Restrictions on Dahi Handi festival on the occasion of Gokulashtami

Dahi handi is a festival of Hindus held on the occasion of the birthday of Lord Krishna - it is also known as Gokulashtami or Janmashtami. The dahi handi is all about a human pyramid with the teams trying to lay hands on the prize which is kept in a earthen pot which has to be broken.
This festival is a rage in Mumbai and the prize money runs into lakhs of rupees.
However, the very concept of a human ladder is risky and accidents do happen. It has been made popular through song and dance sequences by renowned Bollywood actors with the dahi-handi theme. A question arose on the height of the human pyramid and the minimum age for participants. The Supreme Court has to, now, pass an order on these aspects.
The Maharashtra Government had sought a clarification as to whether a youth below 18-years can participate in a `Dahi-Handi` ritual and whether the human pyramid formation could be in excess of 20 feet.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 10 August 2016.

The High Court had issued an order on August 11, 2014 indicating that the height of human pyramids should not exceed 20 feet and children below 18 years should not be allowed to participate in the Dahi-Handi function. But, the authorities were not following the order. Therefore, based on a a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), the High Court pulled up the government for its failure to obtain clarification from the apex court in this regard.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


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