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Krishna
Janmasthmi Festival in Mumbai
Krishna Janmasthmi the birth day of
Lord Krishna this year is being
celebrated on 2nd September 2010. Janmashtami is a festival that celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna
who is born at midnight. Pooja begins with the birth of Krishna at midnight. Devotees
giving bath to little Krishna’s idol with gangajal, ghee, water, honey
and curd. The idol is then adorned with new clothes and garlands and is placed in a
cradle. Bhog (sweets) are offered to the Bal gopal.Some followers of Lord Krishna celebrate
Janmashtami by keeping fasts .
One of the best places to experience the
Krishna Janmasthmi is in the city of Mumbai. Celebrations take place at hundreds of locations
throughout the city. The huge ISKCON temple complex, in the beach side suburb of Juhu, also runs a three day cultural program.
The most important event of the festival in Mumbai
which takes place on the second day of Janmashtami, is the Dahi Handi
Dahi-Handi celebration during Janmashtami
Dahi Handi
celeberation is an enactment of Lord Krishna`s acts as a child of stealing butter from Matka (earthen pot), suspended from the ceiling.
It generally takes place on the second day of Janmashtami. An earthen
pot containing a mixture of milk, dry fruits, ghee is hung at a height
of 20-30 feet with the help of a rope. It also contains coins which are later distributed as prize to the winners.
In Mumbai boys and even girls form a human pyramid by standing one on top of the
other, trying to break the pot. Onlookers throw water on them in order
to prevent them from breaking the pot. It is believed that the broken
pieces of earthen pot will keep away mice and negative powers from homes.
Dahi Handi is celebrated with zeal at Mathura - Vrindavan, Dwarka and Maharashtra.
The high-stake Dahi-Handi celebration during Janmashtami festival arrives in Mumbai. And if the biggest prize money was Rs. 21
lakh till last year, it is set to rise three times this year. "For the kind of risks these boys take, the prize money is nothing,"
said Jitendra Ahwad, Organiser, Sangarsh Dahi Handi and NCP MLC, Maharashtra Assembly.
Every big Dahi-Handi is affiliated to a political party, the prize money
being their magnet. The higher the stakes, the larger the crowd. "It's sad if Dahi-Handi is getting politicised. It should celebrate and
promote Marathi culture," said Ram Kadam, Organiser, Ghatkopar Dahi-Handi and MNS MLA, Maharashtra Assembly.
All parties say it's not about elections it's about promoting Marathi culture.
The fact is, there are over 600 Govinda troops with an average total
tally of 10 lakh participants. And given that municipal elections are
less than two years away, it's a great opportunity to attract the masses reported in
NDTV Some of the biggest and most talked-about 'dahi handis'
are organised by politicians, who are widely seen as taking mileage out of the festival.
This year, NCP MLA Jitendra Avhad's 'Sangharsh' dahi handi
in adjoining Thane is the biggest handi in terms of prize money. The 'Govinda' group
that breaks the handi will take home a whopping Rs 75 lakh.
Dahi-Handi celebration
Bollywood style
Superstar Amitabh Bachchan said, "Happy Janmashtami! Reminded of my song "mach gaya shor .." from Khuddar "... hathi ghoda palki, jai
kanhaiya lal ki !! Love peace happiness to all .." Actor Riteish Deshmukh, tweeted: "Govinda Aala re aala, zara matki
sambhal brijbala'. Drums playing all over..love festivities ." Shahid Kapoor said: "Happy Janmashtami to all."
Actress Dia Mirza said: "Dahi handi can cause quite a stir in Mumbai! It proves, to reach out to your hearts'desires you need to combine love,
trust n balance! "
Google maps and Govindas
This year lakhs of Govindas will use the virtual world to hop from one
Dahi-Handi to the next. A website dahikala.com uses Google maps to help Govinda mandals find their way on D-day.
The virtual guide... has the whole web. Handy list of hospitals and blood banks... insurance facilities... police emergency
numbers.. entire profiles of Dahi-Handis in Mumbai... and of course a Google Map
to guide the wandering Govindas. They can access all of it... on their
GPRS enabled phones.. . |
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