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This is a ritual followed by every group, a vow before the action.
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Since morning I latched myself with a Dahi Handi battalion called Ganeshotsav Mandal Talwadi Mazgaon, I was with them at various places where they broke the Dahi Handi..
The last one was at Thane of TMC Corporator Mr Pratap Sarnaik..
Here they broke the World Record by creating a 9 tier human pyramid..
Mr Bal Nandgaonkar MLA and Mr Yeshwant Jadhav Corporator of Mazgaon,gave ample support to their Mazgaon lads at each juncture..
I left as I wanted to post these pictures, in the rush lost my wallet too, but it was worth the effort..
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This is what the formation of the human pyramid looks like.
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The tumble is hard and dangerous. The climb to the top is an act of synchronised skill. But there is no rhyme or rhythm in the fall.
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The entire group says a quick prayer before starting to form the layers for the human pyramid.
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Delicately balanced eight layered human pyramid is formed successfully.
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Origin: Legend has it that as a child, Lord Krishna was very fond of curd and butter. He would gather his friends and they would steal butter from the houses of the milkmaids of Vrindavan. To protect their curd and butter from this gang of naughty children, the milkmaids kept it in a pot and hung it from the ceiling of their houses. Today's practice of Dahi Handi is the same challenge posed by the women of a locality to the young men of their neighbourhood.
The Beckoning Pot: The plan for Dahi Handi begins much before Janmashtami. Contribution is collected from every household in the locality. The day after Janmashtami, women buy large amounts of flattened rice ( poha ), curds, sugar and pickles.
The poha , curds and sugar is mixed together to form dahi-poha , a dish that was said to be a favourite of Lord Krishna. A large earthen pot is then filled with dahi-poha . Tangy pickle is placed in the centre. The pot is decorated on the outside with flowers and leaves. As an added incentive, currency notes are tied to the pot. Now it is ready as the mouth-watering prize.
Human Pyramid: This pot is then hung high up in an open ground. It is a challenge to the youth of the locality to claim this pot. The youth too are ready for the challenge and have practiced their skills.
As soon as the pot is hung, they arrive at the ground which is teeming with spectators, by this time. The youth take a look at the pot hanging high, gauge its height and begin to form a human pyramid to reach it. But the task is not easy.
Triumphant Boys: But the boys love the challenge. Ignoring the slippery bodies and the splash of cold water on their faces, they go on adding tier after tier to their pyramid. Finally, the most agile boy climbs like a cat over the bodies of his friends forming the pyramid. He reaches the summit, carrying a stick in his hands.
The crowd watches with bated breath. One slip and he would fall down from a height of several feet. But he has practiced his art well. He takes the aim and with great accuracy, breaks the pot. Down pours the dahi-poha and there is a scramble to get the money and the prasad .
A young member of a Govinda group (they make human pyramids, so this young boy is probably one of those in an upper tier) during the Dahi Handi festival in Pune, India
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Govinda or Dahi Handi is a sport organized on Krishna Janmashtami to celebrate the birth of Krishna. It is very popular in Mumbai and surrounding area of Thane.
Govinda players gather together under Dahi Handi to making a human pyramid to catch and then break an earthen pot (a matki or handi) hung high in the air with the help of a rope. The players are known as Govindas or BalGopals. The sport is based on the legends about Krishna stealing makhan (butter) or dahi (curd) from handis.
Govinda was started somewhere in the eighteenth century in Girgaum in Mumbai. Originally the sport was a religious ceremony to celebrate the birth of the Hindu god Krishna. A community called Pathare Prabhu staying in the village called Girgaum in south Mumbai (then called Bombay) used to celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna by performing Govinda.[1] This community of Pathare Prabhu was affluent and had many servants to work on their farms. These workers were mainly from Kunbi community from Bankot in Konkan region of Maharashtra state in India. On Krishna birthday, earthen pot filled with Dahi curds and butter and other eatables preferably bananas would be hung at a suitable height. Servants of the Pathare Prabhu families would collect and make a human pyramid under the pot and then a little boy most probably the youngest child from that family would climb over them, reach the pot and then break it. That was the sport to be played on that day to celebrate the birth of the lord.
Usually, the land held by this community of Pathare Prabhus was very large, called Wadi. People participating in the occasion were going in a procession in and around the Wadi they owned and ultimately come to the main entrance of their mansions. Very often more than one family would join in the celebration and that used to give more servants for the performance of Govinda. The earthen pot called Handi held at a height in that place. All the female members of the family as well as those of the servants would be collecting at the entrance to receive the procession, also called, Govinda. Usually these processions accompanied with a chariot, pulled by either horses or bullocks and on the chariot were scenes from the life of Lord Krishna and with a band of lezim players and drummers. Old people say that, these processions were very magnificent. As the procession reaches the entrance of the mansion, all the members of the procession would collect under the Handi and form the circles to make the final pyramid. Lord Krishna, little child from the owners house sitting in the chariot as lord Krishna then climbed the pyramid and the pot was broken. While the little boy of the Govinda is trying to climb up to the Handi and then breaking it, crowd around would throw quantity of water on the Govinda to disturb them and to see that they cannot do it easily. This was the work of mainly women surrounding the Govinda. This was to remember that when lord Krishna used to reach the Handis, gopicas (maidens) would do such a thing to save their curds and milk from the hands of little lord Krishna. This is an episode from the life of lord Krishna. In that, it depicts that lord Krishna with his friends (Govindas) roamed around the city of Mathura, find the earthen pots filled with curds and milk, and steal it. Gopicas (milk maidens) used to hide these pots at a height so that little lord cannot reach it. Lord was very smart and he developed the idea of making a pyramid of his friends and then climbing it and get to the curd.
Dahi Handi pyramid Jay Bharat Seva Sangh
Interesting enough, all male members of the Pathare Prabhu community would mix with servants on equitable basis while making the pyramid. At the pyramid, every body was equal. No body was boss and no body was servant. They all were only worshipers of the lord Krishna. Even servant's sons would climb on the shoulders of the owners’ sons to reach the upper layer. This is how all the people involved experienced a sense of equality. This shows that many qualities are required to make the pyramid successful. They are, sense of responsibility, collective contribution, sense of equality and mastermind. At personal level, other qualities were required. They are confidence, daring, patience, capacity to sustain pain and other injuries, respect for other fellow members. Looking to these aspects of Govinda, one business management school in Mumbai[2] has accepted Govinda as a lesson in their training course.
This continued until nineteen fifties in this style in the Girgaum village. By that time, the village had become a full-grown city of Mumbai and called Mumbai-2. Lands were all sold and gone. Now the big land holding were reduced to narrow link roads but still they were called, Wadis. Phanas Wadi, Navi Wadi, Khhotachi Wadi, Zawbachi Wadi were known to be holding regularly these Govindas in Girguam. Now, the format of the Govinda procession had also changed. Now, all occupants in these Wadis, whether servants or just tenants, anybody who would enjoy the occasion and the sport, would join. By now, the servants had taken this interesting sport to their native place Bankot in Konkan. Many servants and their progeny had left Girgaum and settled in other parts of this city of Mumbai. Wherever they went carried the sport and this is how the sport spread in other parts of the city and in vicinity like Thane.
Chariots carrying shows from the life of Lord Krishna were abandoned and only Govinda teams remained. They started moving in trucks and some boys moved on their motor bikes and scooters along with the trucks. They carried with them water and other requisites. By this time Pathare Prabhu, community was gone into oblivion.
Govinda reached new heights when media discovered the advertising potential of the sport. After that, professional politicians followed the suit. At present Govinda has become a sport to reckon with.
The sport has four parameters: height of the Handi, width of the place under the Handi, number of people to perform the Govinda, and the number of layers to perform the Handi break. Centring exactly under the Handi was a matter of skill. Very often, centring was not proper and finally the boy reaching the height would be a little away from the Handi and that is failure of Govinda. When many new practitioners experienced this, they introduced a remedy to this by not breaking the Handi but only saluting it. This is how two types of Govindas came into existence. Govinda with Handi and Govinda with Salaam (salute) without Handi. Originally, Govinda had layers gradually receding in diameter and forming a neatly shaped pyramid like structure. This required a large number of members to make it. These Govindas were solid that means each layer is filled with boys and that made the Govinda very strong. However, such pyramids required a very large number of boys. In later period, so many boys were not available and so hollow pyramids came to be common. Only outer ring formed and the boys would climb on them to reach the upper layer. The conventional Govinda had only top most boy alone standing and he would break the pot. When Spanish sportsmen[3] came to see our Govinda they introduced ladder arrangement, which was their practice in Spain. In Spain, they have a sport similar to our sport of Govinda. Now boys of this Govinda have picked up that ladder arrangement to increase the height of Govinda to reach Handi at higher heights. All these arrangements made it possible to make a Govinda with less number of boys.
Shows only the ladder arrangement of three girls at the top of the pyramid, this Govinda is played by all Girls.
Many engineering innovations are possible to make this sport more interesting and visually impressive, said one structural engineer from Mumbai. He added that the ladder pattern if made using triplets (three persons), instead of single person so, that will increase the stability of the pyramid. With this innovation Govinda could reach enormous heights. Three layers of such triples will add another 15 feet to Govinda easily.
Experts opinion, no special exercise is necessary to these boys. Experienced athletes recommended that sports such as Kho-kho, Atyapatya, Kabaddi (Hutu too), all local games, are most suitable to bring agility required in this sport. Ideal member for this sport should be strong, muscular and tall. Very heavy bodied members may be suitable at the lowest level on the ground. Average height of members recommended in here is 5 ft. 6 in. at ground level and for upper layers height must be above this. Govinda can reach bigger heights, preferring taller boys. Many boys indulge in drinking liquor. This practice is in some places encouraged by the organizers.
Economics[edit source | editbeta]
Govindas forming human tower to break the dahi handi in Thane
Govinda's recognition as a sport has caused some people to pursue it tenaciously. The financial side of this activity shows, three months before the advent of the birthday of the Lord Krishna, they have to start practicing for Govinda. Daily for at least three hours they practice. During practice, they need a substantial diet fortified with carbohydrates and proteins. Some experts suggest that during practice each one member of the Govinda consumes about 3000 or more of calories of energy. At present, no substantial diet made available for these people and as a result, quite often some of them withdraw from the sport eventually. Their body cannot sustain the exertion due to their improper diet. To develop a sport out of this activity, supplementary diet for the loss of calories during the practice is required; and for that those Govinda organizers will have to give the members some special food during each practice. A dietician has suggested that each on of these Govinda members must get a food supplement consisting of three chapattis, an omelette of three eggs and a glass of sweetened milk or fruit juice. At present prices in the city of Mumbai, the cost works out to be about 40 rupees per serving. For a medium sized group of Govinda team we need at least 50 boys. That works out to a cost of 2,000/- rupees per day for the food of the team during practice. With this as standard statistics we find that during three months of practice a Govinda team shall have to spent at least 1,80,000/- rupees.
During the festival day, these teams have to travel distances to reach these Govinda Handis in different localities. This requires transport. The cost of transport comes to about 5000/- rupees for that day. In all, having not considered any other cost, such as, salaries or remuneration of the members, however, in most of the cases they work voluntarily and so all that we find each Govinda team of a medium size has to incur the cost of at least 1,85,000/- rupees for the preparation as on year 2009. For large sized Govindas this cost will be almost double this.
Presently, it is found that no Govinda organizer spends this much money on these player today and that is why if this sport is brought for competition with other Govindas from abroad such as Spain, they shall be defeated. The boys being malnourished will not be able to stand the rigour required for such competitions. It is observed that on an average a Govinda team cannot attend more than three Handis in that day successfully. Formation of a good-sized Govinda (pyramid) requires at least fifteen minutes and preparation may require about at least another fifteen minutes. Excess time in loitering is about one hour. The only earning side is the prizes given on these Govinda Handis. While other options of earning are completely neglected. The other options are TV coverage, news coverage.
Sponsors of Govindas are collecting money by contribution from respected and interested parties such as business companies, shops, and politicians. These people contribute to the fund and the amount is generated. It has been seen that advertisements in and around the place of Handi are those of these contributors. At present TV channels and news coverage does not pay anything to the organizers of Govinda to cover the event.
To calculate arbitrarily what should be the minimum prize money for a Govinda we have to consider how many Handis a team can attend successfully? An investigation has shown that not more than three are possible. This amounts to about one and a half hour per actual operation of formation of Govinda (pyramid). Rest of the time goes in travel to reach the Handi. Since the cost of preparation of the team for Govinda of three months and travel is about as we have shown earlier comes to 1,85,000/- rupees and this does not include the remuneration for the team members minimum cost per Handi must be not less than 65,000/- rupees. If remuneration is to be added the cost will be more; that comes to 1,30,000/- rupees or more. Any Handi prized around this amount or more is a feasible Handi and anything less means that Handi is not for medium sized Govindas. A medium sized Govinda team can reach height of 40 feet if other requisites are properly satisfied. This explanation gives general idea of the feasibility of Govinda.
India-Mumbai
A seven to eight layer human pyramid collapses while attempting to break the dahi handi. “The Govindas” (Troupes of Lord Krishna) forming a human pyramid to break the handi which is suspended at a height of 20 to 40 feet. More than 400 organisations set up dahi handis all over the city.
Dahi Handi is a popular ceremony held on the second day of Janmashthami, the festival celebrating the birth of Lord Krishna. The word ‘dahi’ means ‘curd,’ while ‘handi’ means pot. These words refer to the pot of curd, which is to be claimed as a prize during this special ceremony.
This ceremony actually reenacts the childhood pranks of Lord Krishna, who had a special affinity towards milk and butter. The lord along with his friends used to steal milk and butter from the houses in their village. Usually these food items would be hung from the roof beams to keep them out of reach. The Lord along with his friends used to form a human pyramid and reach the food items and steal them.
Dahi Handi (meaning 'Clay Pot') is a popular activity in Maharshtra, held during Janmashtami (date of Hindu God - Krishna's birth) & commemorating the antics of a young Lord Krishna.
Human Pyramid: This pot is hung high up in an open ground, 30 to 50 feet above ground level. It is a challenge to the youth of the locality to claim this pot. The youth too are ready for the challenge and have practiced their skills.
As soon as the pot was hung, they arrived at the ground. The group (called Govindas!)measure up the pot hanging high, gauged its height and began to form a human pyramid to reach it. But the task is not easy. Ignoring the slippery bodies the boys went on adding tier after tier to their pyramid. Finally, the smallest boy climbed like a cat over the bodies of his friends forming the pyramid. He reached the summit, carrying a stick in his hands.
The crowd watched with bated breath. One slip and he would fall down from a height of several feet onto the road, with no protection whatsoever. Or what would happen if one of guys down below in the pyramid twitched or shrugged? Everyone would tumble down like a pack of cards, with injuries to many of them...a frightening prospect as I stood quite numb! The boy took the aim and with great accuracy, broke the pot. Down poured the dahi-poha and there was a scramble to get the money and the prasad (offering).
'Dahi Handi' is an Indian festival that comprises making a human pyramid and breaking an earthen pot filled with milk, curd, butter, fruits and water and known as a 'handi' or 'matki', which is hung at a convenient height. It is organized on Krishna Janmashtami every year to celebrate the birth of the Lord Shri Krishna all over the state of Maharashtra, India.
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Janmashthami, popularly known as Dahi Handi is celebrated with enormous zeal and enthusiasm where various handis are set up locally in almost every nook and corner of the city, and groups of youngsters, called Govindas (Troupes of Lord Krishna) travel around to break as many handis as possible during the day. More than 400 organisations set up dahi handis all over the city.
Dahi Handi is a popular ceremony held on the second day of Janmashthami, the festival celebrating the birth of Lord Krishna. The word ‘dahi’ means ‘curd,’ while ‘handi’ means pot. These words refer to the pot of curd, which is to be claimed as a prize during this special ceremony.
This ceremony actually reenacts the childhood pranks of Lord Krishna, who had a special affinity towards milk and butter. The lord along with his friends used to steal milk and butter from the houses in their village. Usually these food items would be hung from the roof beams to keep them out of reach. The Lord along with his friends used to form a human pyramid and reach the food items and steal them.
Risk for dahi...
Dahi-handi is celebrated on krishna janam(birth) in india.. Where they form human towers to reach those handis(that bowl).. though its risky, its our(mumbaikars) tradition..
picture shot at the Bhoiwada Dahi Handi Pandal
article sourced from wikipedia
Indian National Congress-I (also known as the Congress Party and abbreviated INC) is a major political party in India. Founded in 1885 by Womesh Chandra Bonerjee, Surendranath Banerjee, Monomohun Ghose, Allan Octavian Hume, William Wedderburn, Dadabhai Naoroji and Dinshaw Wacha, the Indian National Congress became the leader of the Indian Independence Movement, with over 15 million members and over 70 million participants in its struggle against British rule in India. After independence in 1947, it became the nation's dominant political party, challenged for leadership only in more recent decades. In the 14th Lok Sabha (2004-2009), 145 members (out of 545), the largest contingent amongst all parties, serve in the house. The party is currently the chief member of the ruling United Progressive Alliance coalition. It is the only party to get more than 100 million votes in the past two general elections (1999, 2004)[1].
History
The history of the Indian National Congress falls into two distinct eras:
The pre-independence era, when the party was at the forefront of the struggle for independence;
The post-independence era, when the party has enjoyed a prominent place in Indian politics, ruling the country for 48 of the 60 years since independence in 1947.
In the pre-independence era, the congress was divided in two groups, moderate and activist. The moderates were more educated and wanted to win people's faith to rule over the country and enjoy the power which British was enjoying and eventually they achieved what they were looking for.
[edit] The Pre-Independence Era
Main article: Indian National Congress - Freedom Era
First session of Indian National Congress, Bombay, 28-31, December, 1885.Founded in 1885 with the objective of obtaining a greater share in government for educated Indians, the Indian National Congress was initially not opposed to British rule. The Congress met once a year during December. Indeed, it was a Scotsman, Allan Octavian Hume, who brought about its first meeting in Bombay, with the approval of Lord Dufferin, the then-Viceroy.
Womesh Chandra Bonerjee was the first President of the INC. The first meeting was scheduled to be held in Pune, but due to a plague outbreak there, the meeting was later shifted to Bombay. The first Session of INC was held from 28-31 December 1885, and was attended by 72 delegates.
A few years down the line, the demands of INC became more radical in the face of constant opposition from the government, and the party became very active in the independence movement. By 1907 the party was split into two halves: the Garam Dal of Bal Gangadhar Tilak, or Extremists (literally "hot faction"), and the Naram Dal of Gopal Krishna Gokhale, or Moderates (literally "soft faction"), distinguished by their attitude towards the British. Under the influence of Bal Gangadhar Tilak, the Congress became the first integrated mass organization in the country, bringing together millions of people against the British.
The official flag of the Congress during the Independence struggle.In its time as the nation's leader in the freedom struggle, it produced the nation's greatest leaders. Before the Gandhi Era came leaders like Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal, Lala Lajpat Rai, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Mohammed Ali Jinnah (later leader of the Muslim League and instrumental in the creation of Pakistan), all starting with the first legendary icon of Indians: Dadabhai Naoroji, the president of the sister Indian National Association and later the first Indian Member of Parliament in the British House of Commons. The Congress was transformed into a mass movement by Surendranath Banerjea and Sir Henry Cotton during the partition of Bengal in 1905 and the resultant Swadesi Movement. Gandhi came back from South Africa in 1915 and with the help of the pro-British group led by Ghokhale he through an extraordinary coup became the President of The Congress without any election and formed an alliance with the Khilafat Movement. In protest a number of leaders went out of Congress. Khilafat movement ended up in a disaster and The Congress was split. A number of leaders Chittaranjan Das, Annie Besant, Motilal Nehru, went out of The Congress to set up the Swaraj Party.
With the rise of Mahatma Gandhi's popularity and his Satyagraha art of revolution came Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (the nation's first Prime Minister), Dr. Rajendra Prasad (the nation's first President), Khan Mohammad Abbas Khan, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Chakravarti Rajgopalachari, Jivatram Kripalani and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. With the already existing nationalistic feeling combined with Gandhi's popularity the Congress became a forceful mass organization in the country, bringing together millions of people by specifically working against caste differences, untouchability, poverty, and religious and ethnic boundaries. Although predominantly Hindu, it had members from virtually every religion, ethnic group, economic class and linguistic group. In 1939, Subhas Chandra Bose, the elected president in both 1938 and 1939 was expelled from the Congress for his socialist views and The Congress was reduced to a pro-Business group financed by the business houses of Birla and Bajaj. At the time of the Quit India movement, the Congress was undoubtedly the strongest political and revolutionary organization in India, but the Congress disassociated itself from the Quit India movement within a few days. The Indian National Congress could not claim to be the true representative of the Indian people as other parties were there as well particularly the Hindu Mahasabha, Azad Hind Sarkar, Forward Bloc.
The 1929 Lahore session under the presidency of Jawaharlal Nehru holds special significance as in this session "Poorna Swaraj" (complete independence) was declared as the goal of INC. The 26th January 1930 was declared as "Poorna Swaraj Diwas," Independence Day although the British remained in India a number of years longer. It was to commemorate this date particularly that The Indian Constitution was formally adopted on 26 January 1950 (even though it was passed on 26 November 1949).However in 1929 Srinivan Iyenger was expelled from the Congress for demanding full independence, not just home rule as demanded by Gandhi.
After the First World War the party became associated with Mahatma Gandhi, who remained its unofficial, spiritual leader and mass icon even as younger men and women became party president. The party was in many ways an umbrella organization, sheltering within itself radical socialists, traditionalists and even Hindu and Muslim conservatives, but all the socialists (including the Congress Socialist Party, Krishak Praja Party, Swarajya Party members) were expelled along with Subhas Chandra Bose in 1939 by Gandhi.
During the INA trials of 1946, the Congress helped to form the INA Defence Committee, which forcefully defended the case of the soldiers of the Azad Hind government. The committee declared the formation of the Congress' defence team for the INA and included famous lawyers of the time, including Bhulabhai Desai, Asaf Ali, and Jawaharlal Nehru.
Members of the Congress initially supported the sailors who led the Royal Indian Navy Mutiny. However they withdrew support at the critical juncture, when the mutiny failed.
[edit] The Post-Independence Era
The party remained in power for thirty continuous years between independence in 1947 and its first taste of electoral defeat (at the national level) in 1977.
[edit] Jawaharlal Nehru
Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel are said to have held the view that the INC was formed only for achieving independence and should have been disbanded in 1947.[1] However, at the time of independence, the INC (led by Jawaharlal Nehru) was a major political organization in the country, and was established as the major political party. The Congress thus, considering the perceived need for a stable leadership and guiding vision after the terrible chaos and confusion following the Partition of India and Independence, was re-established as an electoral party in independent India. Across several general elections, the party ruled uninterrupted until 1977, and has remained a major political force.
After the murder of Gandhi in 1948, and the death of Sardar Patel in 1950, Jawaharlal Nehru was the sole remaining iconic national leader, and soon the situation became so that Nehru was key to the political potency and future of the Congress. Nehru embraced secularism, socialist economic policies and a non-aligned foreign policy, which became the hallmark of the modern Congress Party. Nehru's policies challenged the landed class, the business class and improved the position of religious minorities and lower caste Hindus. A generation of freedom fighting leaders were soon replaced by a generation of people who had grown up in the shadow of Nehru. Nehru led the Congress Party to consecutively majorities in the elections of 1952, 1957 and 1962.
After Nehru's death in 1964, the party's future first came into question. No leader was competitive enough to touch Nehru's iconic status, so the second-stage leadership mustered around the compromise candidate, the gentle, soft-spoken and Nehruvian Lal Bahadur Shastri. Shastri remained Prime Minister till his own death in 1966, and a broad Congress Party election opted for Indira Gandhi, Nehru's daughter, over the right-wing, conservative Morarji Desai.
In 1955 in Awadi session the party adopted a socialistic pattern of society for India.
[edit] Indira Gandhi
Congress mural in KolkataThe first serious challenge to Congress hegemony came in 1967 when a united opposition, under the banner of Samyukt Vidhayak Dal, won control over several states in the Hindi belt. Indira Gandhi, the daughter of Nehru, and Congress president, was then challenged by the majority of the party leadership. The conflict led to a split, and Indira launched a separate INC. Initially this party was known as Congress (R), but it soon came to be generally known as the New Congress. The official party became known as Indian National Congress (Organisation) led by Kamaraj. It was informally called the Old Congress. As Indira Priyadarshini had control over the state machinery, her faction was recognized as the "real" INC by the Election Commission of India, although her organization was the break-away group.
The split can in some ways be seen as a left-wing/right-wing division. Indira Gandhi wanted to use a populist agenda in order to mobilise popular support for the party. She raised slogans such as Garibi Hatao (Remove Poverty), and wanted to develop closer ties with the Soviet Union. The regional party elites, who formed the INC(O), stood for a more conservative agenda, and distrusted Soviet help. INC(O) later merged into the Janata Party.
Gradually, Indira Gandhi grew more and more authoritarian. Following allegations of widespread rigging in the general elections, a court overturned Indira Gandhi's victory in the Parliamentary constituency. Facing growing opposition she proclaimed a state of National Emergency in 1975, curtailed the powers of the courts, and unleashed a police state.
After she lifted the emergency in 1977, more Congress factions were formed, the one remaining loyal to Indira Gandhi being popularly known as Congress(I) with an 'I' for Indira. The Congress (I) was routed in the general elections by the Janata Party, but the coalition government fell apart in two years. The Congress party returned to power in the ensuing 1980 elections. In 1984 Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two of her Sikh bodyguards, in revenge for Operation Blue Star. In the following days more than six thousand Sikhs were killed in the 1984 riots, mainly in Delhi, by activists and leaders of the Congress Party. [2].
About the riots, the new PM and Indira's son, Rajiv Gandhi remarked, "When a big tree falls, the earth is bound to shake."
[edit] The Post-Indira Era
Election symbol of the CongressAfter Indira, her son Rajiv Gandhi, took over as Congress leader and led the party to victory with a large majority in the 1984 Lok Sabha elections. It governed from 1984-9 and then was defeated in the 1989 general election. Rajiv Gandhi was also assassinated by the LTTE during the course of the election campaign in 1991. Following Rajiv Gandhi's assassination, P.V. Narasimha Rao succeeded him as Congress leader and became prime minister.
The 1990s was a period of prolonged crisis for the Congress. After gradually losing political influence the party asked the Rajiv Gandhi's widow, Sonia, to accept the position of Congress President. She refused at the time, and the Congress stuck with Narasimha Rao. Rao dramatically changed the party's traditionally socialist policies and introduced major economic reforms and liberalization, with the help of then Finance minister (and future Prime Minister) Manmohan Singh. Nonetheless, his involvement in the bribery of members of parliament was a major issue which led to the downfall of the Congress in 1996, and subsequently his own disgraced exit from politics.
Former treasurer Sitaram Kesri took over the reins of the party and oversaw the Congress support to the United Front governments that ran from 1996 - 1998. During his tenure, several key leaders broke away from the party, and serious infighting broke out among those left. In 1998, Sonia Gandhi finally accepted the post of Congress President, in a move that may have saved the party from extinction.
After her election as party leader, a section of the party, which objected to the choice, broke away and formed the Nationalist Congress Party. The use of "Congress (I)" continues to denote the party run by Indira Gandhi's successors. There have been repeated attempts by the Indian nationalist groups (such as the BJP) to discredit Sonia Gandhi's leadership on the basis of her foreign origin - she is Italian-born.
Although the Congress expedited the downfall of the NDA government in 1999 by promising an alternative, Ms. Gandhi's decision was followed by fresh elections and the Congress party's worst-ever tally in the lower house. The party spent the interval period forging alliances and overseeing changes in the state and central organizations to revive the party. It has had many electoral successes which led up to the formation of a Congress-led government in 2004.
[edit] Indian Prime Ministers from the Congress Party
Jawaharlal Nehru (1947 - 1964)
Gulzarilal Nanda (May - June1964, January 1966)
Lal Bahadur Shastri (1964 - 1966)
Indira Gandhi (1966 - 1977, 1980 - 1984)
Rajiv Gandhi (1984 - 1989)
P.V. Narasimha Rao (1991 - 1996)
Manmohan Singh (2004 - present)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_National_Congress
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Mumbai, India
“The Govindas” (Troupes of Lord Krishna) forming a human pyramid to break the handi which is suspended at a height of 20 to 40 feet. More than 400 organisations set up dahi handis all over the city.
Dahi Handi is a popular ceremony held on the second day of Janmashthami, the festival celebrating the birth of Lord Krishna. The word ‘dahi’ means ‘curd,’ while ‘handi’ means pot. These words refer to the pot of curd, which is to be claimed as a prize during this special ceremony.
This ceremony actually reenacts the childhood pranks of Lord Krishna, who had a special affinity towards milk and butter. The lord along with his friends used to steal milk and butter from the houses in their village. Usually these food items would be hung from the roof beams to keep them out of reach. The Lord along with his friends used to form a human pyramid and reach the food items and steal them.
The festival of Janmashtami in Mumbai is also the time for Dahi Handi.....
Janmaashtami, popularly known in Mumbai and Pune as Dahi Handi is celebrated with enormous zeal and enthusiasm. The handi is a clay pot filled with buttermilk that was positioned at a convenient height prior to the event; the topmost person on the human pyramid tries to break the handi by hitting it with a blunt object, and when that happens, the buttermilk is spilled over the entire group, symbolizing their achievement through unity. Various Handis are set up locally in several parts of the city, and groups of youngsters, called Govinda, travel around in trucks trying to break as many handis as possible during the day.
Many such Govinda Pathaks compete with each other, especially for the handis that dole out hefty rewards. The event, in recent times, has gathered a political flavor, and it is not uncommon for political parties, and rich community groups to offer prizes amounting to lakhs of rupees.
Some of the most famous handis are at Dadar, Mazgaon, Lalbaug, Thane and Babu Genu, Mandai in Pune.[3]
(Source - Wikipedia)
Celebration of Janmashtami, birth of the famous Lord Krishna includes a number of ceremonies like, Raslila, Jhankis (tableaux) etc. Dahi Handi is a popular ceremony, celebrated with lot of enthusiasm and glee. Dahi Handi is an enactment of Lord Krishna's efforts to steal butter from Matka (earthen pot) suspended from the ceiling.
Girgaum, Mumbai, India
“The Govindas” (Troupes of Lord Krishna) forming a human pyramid to break the handi which is suspended at a height of 20 to 40 feet. More than 400 organisations set up dahi handis all over the city.
Dahi Handi is a popular ceremony held on the second day of Janmashthami, the festival celebrating the birth of Lord Krishna. The word ‘dahi’ means ‘curd,’ while ‘handi’ means pot. These words refer to the pot of curd, which is to be claimed as a prize during this special ceremony.
This ceremony actually reenacts the childhood pranks of Lord Krishna, who had a special affinity towards milk and butter. The lord along with his friends used to steal milk and butter from the houses in their village. Usually these food items would be hung from the roof beams to keep them out of reach. The Lord along with his friends used to form a human pyramid and reach the food items and steal them.
mach gaye shor nagri mein
ala re ala govinda ala
ek don teen char
jatkar saheb che pore hoshiyar
govinda re gopala
bol bajrang bali ki jai
Today is the most vibrant moment where Maharashtrians , will keep the Swine Flu on the back burner and participate in the Dahi Handi festival..
I missed it two years back as I was in Bangalore , but I have shot it year after year.
Last year I was the only guy from Bandra to have shot the world record breaking dai handi at Thane ..and met my dear friend Purvesh Sarnaik his dad Pratap Sarnaik had organised the event and two teams won it I am told , but I shot the Talwadi Mandal
This festival and the Ganesha Immersion , I try not to miss..
And Mr BW Jatkar had once come along to shoot this with me many years back..I shall certainly miss him and my new set is dedicated to him, his memories and his friendship that I cherish
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krishna_Janmashtami
Krishna Janmashtami (Devanagari कृष्ण जन्माष्टमी) , also known as "Krishnashtami","Saatam Aatham" ,"Gokulashtami", "Ashtami Rohini", "Srikrishna Jayanti", "Sree Jayanthi" or sometimes merely as "Janmashtami", is a Hindu festival celebrating the birth of Lord Krishna, an avatar of god Vishnu.[1]
Krishna Janmashtami is observed on the eighth day, Ashtami tithi, of the dark half or Krishna Paksha of the month of Bhaadra in the Hindu calendar, when the Rohini Nakshatra (called Aldebaran in the West) is ascendant. Rasa lila or dramatic enactments of the life of Krishna are a special feature in regions of Mathura and Vrindavan, and regions following Vaishnavism in Manipur.
In Maharashtra
Janmaashtami, popularly known in Mumbai and Pune as Dahi Handi is celebrated with enormous zeal and enthusiasm. The handi is a clay pot filled with buttermilk that was positioned at a convenient height prior to the event; the topmost person on the human pyramid tries to break the handi by hitting it with a blunt object, and when that happens, the buttermilk is spilled over the entire group, symbolizing their achievement through unity. Various Handis are set up locally in several parts of the city, and groups of youngsters, called Govinda, travel around in trucks trying to break as many handis as possible during the day.
Many such Govinda Pathaks compete with each other, especially for the handis that dole out hefty rewards. The event, in recent times, has gathered a political flavor, and it is not uncommon for political parties, and rich community groups to offer prizes amounting to lakhs of rupees.
Some of the most famous handis are at Dadar, Mazgaon, Lalbaug and some in Thane a neighboring district of Mumbai and Babu Genu, Mandai in Pune.
Cash and gifts are offered for Govinda troops to participate; for over 4000 Handis in Mumbai, 700 Govinda troops compete for the prizes.
Girgaum, Mumbai, India
“The Govindas” (Troupes of Lord Krishna) forming a human pyramid to break the handi which is suspended at a height of 20 to 40 feet. More than 400 organisations set up dahi handis all over the city.
Dahi Handi is a popular ceremony held on the second day of Janmashthami, the festival celebrating the birth of Lord Krishna. The word ‘dahi’ means ‘curd,’ while ‘handi’ means pot. These words refer to the pot of curd, which is to be claimed as a prize during this special ceremony.
This ceremony actually reenacts the childhood pranks of Lord Krishna, who had a special affinity towards milk and butter. The lord along with his friends used to steal milk and butter from the houses in their village. Usually these food items would be hung from the roof beams to keep them out of reach. The Lord along with his friends used to form a human pyramid and reach the food items and steal them.
This was an old post bought forward today as I have exceeded my limit for images at Flickr ,,no new uploads ,,,till I buy more space they say...
reaching out for
a serene spirituality
in a dahi pot
hands and legs
head and shoulders
in the streets
of mumbai hot
jai govinda jai gopala
a beautiful thought
a magical moment
binding you soul
on the spot
peace hope harmony
that god bought
defeating the curse
of swine flu
an accidental plot
that was terrorizing
the human lot
resurrecting him
from destiny's rot
jai govinda jai gopala
mumbai wala hai dilwala
mumbai premki patshala
jalnewale ka moonh ho kala
dilip kumar madhubala
rajendra kumar vijayntimala
purani pikcharon ka maza nirala
sharuk khan ko
amriki immigrationwalon ne
pareshan kar dala
girte rupye ne seth logon
ka kar diya diwala
once upon a time in mumbai
please dekh lo dobara
madras cafe john sab
sarkar lagta hai pyara
chenna express 300 crore
ka bollywood ka puwara
narayan narayan KRK
ka teer ..critics ke seene
pe mara ..rape se bachao
aj desh ki nariyon ka nara ..
phata poster nikla poet
tasvir khichnewala ..
flickr ne mere account
par laga diya hai tala
paise pekho nayi space kharido
warna upload nahi hoga tumhara
#firozeshakir
#beggarpoet
#govinda
This was the venue of the Dahi Handi celebration under the auspices of Thane Municipal Corporator Mr Prartap Sarnaik..
COME THIS "GOVINDA" - 24th AUGUST, 2008
www.pratapsarnaik.com/en/dahikala.htm
Gopalkala is the celebration of the birth of Lord Krishna. Popularly it is also known as Dahi Handi Utsav or Dahikala Utsav. It is one of the popular festivals in India. It is a festival of Human Towers. Dahikala Utsav is celebrated throughout India in variety of ways.
Lord Krishna is one of the popular Gods of the Hindus. Since his childhood till he became the king of Dwarika in western India, his life is full with variety of thrilling adventures such as exterminating demons, punishing wicked maternal uncle – Kansa, lifting the mountain Govardhan and holding it on the tip of finger and ultimately telling Bhagvadgita to Arjuna on the battleground of Hastinapur.
In the memory of such a fantastic Purushottama i.e. the perfect man Dahikala Utsav is celebrated even today.
Since, last few years Sanskriti Yuva Pratishthan of Thane headed by committed and active Corporator Shri Pratap Sarnaik, is celebrating Dahikala Utsav with great fanfare, infact it has not remained just Utsav but has become ‘Dahikala Mahotsav’.
Last year Sanskriti Yuva Pratishthan had organized – ‘Marathi Bana’, a programme narrating the culture of Maharashtra. Shri Ashok Hande had conducted entire show. Thaneites had enjoyed it enormously.
This year also Shri Pratap Sarnaik has geared up to make Dahikala Mahotsav a grand event in the city of Thane.
The venue of Dahikala Mahotsav has been shifted from Vartak Nagar Naka to the open ground of T.M.C. School No. 44 in Vartak Nagar. By taking in to consideration the inconvenience caused to the public and to allow smooth flow of vehicular traffic this change has been effected. Now, citizens can enjoy Dahikala Mahotsav without facing any traffic troubles.
Dahikala Mahotsav is a very much secular event. People belonging to various sections and communities join hands together and celebrate it. Indeed it is a marvelous event which displays unity, concentration, discipline and strong will among the youngsters.
ATTRACTIVE PRIZES
In order to encourage the Govinda Pathakas(Teams) Sanskriti Yuva Pratishthan has kept attractive and staggering prizes and Gifts for them.
Details of the Prizes are as follows:
Govinda teams forming 9 layers.
Rs. 11 Lacs
Women’s Govinda Teams from Thane and Mumbai forming 8 layers and breaking Dahi Handi.
A Silver Mace and 11 Silver Coins of 10 grams
Govinda Teams forming 8 layers and giving Salami or salute to Dahi Handi.
A Silver Mace and pretty Trophy
Govinda teams giving Salami ( salute) to Dahi handi
Silver Coins of 100 grams
STAR PARADE
For entertaining the watchers up to 9.30 p.m. Sanskriti Yuva Pratishthan has invited the galaxy of Stars from Marathi and Hindi Film Industry.
Following Stars will be performing dance
1) Bharat Jadhav
2) Siddharth Jadhav
3) Sanjay Narvekar
4) Ankush Choudhary
5) Sai Tamhankar
6) Resham Tipnis
7) Pandharinath Kamble
8) Deepali Sayyad
9) Kishori Godbole
10) Amruta Khanvilkar
11) Aniket Vishwasrao
12) Ahijeet Kelkar
13) Cadric D’souza
14) Minal Ghorpade
15) Ajinkya Shinde
16) Ketaki Chitale
Following Star Singers will be singing popular and mind boggling songs.
1)Avadhut Gupte
2) Vaishali Samant
3) Swapnil Bandodkar
4) Prasad Oak
5) Mangesh Borgaonkar
6) Amruta Subhash
7) Seema Deshmukh
8) Bela Shende
9) Anand Shinde
10) Sumeet Rahavan
Entire programme will be anchored by:
Aadesh Bandekar, Makrand Anaspure, Pushkar Kshotri and Meghana Yerande
Entire Dahikala Mahotsav is going to be shown live throughout the day by the following Marathi and Hindi Channels.
IBN – LOKMAT
STAR MAZA
ETV-MARATHI
Z -24 -TAAS
MEE MARATHI
AAJ TAK
NDTV INDIA
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Krishna Janmaashtami (Devanagari कृष्ण जन्माष्टमी) , also known as "Krishnaashtami", "Gokulaashtami", "Srikrishna Jayanti", "Sree Jayanthi" or sometimes merely as "Janmaashtami", is a Hindu festival celebrating the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar (incarnation) of Vishnu.
Krishna Janmaashtami is observed on the eighth day of the dark half (Krishna Paksha) of the month of Bhadrapada in the Hindu calendar, when the Rohini Nakshatram is ascendent. The Hindu calendar being lunar, these two events [the day being the eighth of the waning moon (Krishna-paksha Ashtami) and the Rohini Nakshatram being ascendent] may overlap for only a few hours. In such an event, the festival may be celebrated on different (but successive) days by different people, depending on their local or family traditions.
The festival falls sometime in the months of August/September of the Gregorian calendar. In 2006, Krishnaashtami was celebrated on August 15 or August 16.
In 2007, Krishnaashtami will be celebrated on September 4
The pious begin the festival by fasting on the previous day (Saptami, seventh day). This is followed by a night-long vigil commemorating the birth of Krishna at night, and his immediate removal by his father to a foster-home for safe-keeping. At midnight, the deity of the infant Krishna is bathed, placed in a cradle and worshipped. In the early morning, ladies draw patterns of little children's feet outside the house with rice-flour paste, walking towards the house. This symbolizes the entry of the infant Krishna into his foster-home. This custom is popular in some communities of South India. After ablutions, morning prayers and worship, the devout break their fast with Prasadam, food that has first been offered to God. During the fore-noon hours, the "Dahi-Handi" (see below) custom is celebrated in some parts of the deccan. This is followed by sumptuous mid-day feasts, where extended families customarily get together. Sweets made of milk and other dairy products, especially butter, are traditionally prepared on this occasion.
The festival is celebrated differently in North India. The temples at Vrindavan and Mathura witness a colourful, even boisterous celebration on this occasion, and festivities at these places may extend for several days. Devotional songs and dances mark the celebration. The Rasa Lila is performed to recreate incidents from the life of Krishna and commemorate his love for Radha.
Care is taken among certain circles not to imitate the Rasa Lila in a mundane way. It is said that one should not imitate the Rasa Lila even in dreams. The idea is that Krishna, or God's pastimes cannot be understood by the mundane mind-set and discussing them should therefore be avoided altogether. Krishna's pastimes with Srimati Radha can never be understood by materialistic people, they are transcendental and great care should be taken to present them in such manner.
While the Rasa Lila recreates the youthful Krishna's dalliance with the milkmaids of his native land, the "Dahi-Handi" tradition of Maharashtra re-enacts his childhood pranks, wherein Krishna and his young friends helped themselves to butter and other goodies in the houses of their neighbours. Clay pots called "Dahi-Handi", filled with curd and butter, are suspended high above the ground. To a constant chorus of "Govinda, Govinda" from all those present, teams of young men form human pyramids to reach the pot and break it, to the merriment of the youths and of the assembly.
The festival is thus celebrated with great joy and communal togetherness by one and all.
Dahi Handi ( Human Towers ) Celebrations in Maharashtra
In Mumbai and Pune, Janmaashtami, popularly known here as Dahi Handi is celebrated with enormous zeal and enthusiasm. Various Handis are set up locally in almost every nook and corner of the city, and groups of youngsters, called Govinda Pathaks (English: Troupes of Lord Krishna) travel around in trucks trying to break as many handis as possible during the day. Many such Govinda Pathaks compete with each other, especially for the handis that dole out hefty rewards. The event, in recent times, has gathered a political flavor, and it is not uncommon for political parties, and rich community groups to offer prizes amounting to lakhs of rupees. Some of the most famous handis are at Dadar, Mazgaon, Lalbaug and some in Thane a neighboring district of Mumbai and Babu Genu, Mandai in Pune.
sourced from wikipedia..
so the first time
this year i did not
shoot the dahi handi
at ranade road ..
cosmically constrained
the flesh was willing
the spirit contained
within the four
walls of my homely
domain ,,,mumbai
is despicably horrid
horrendously humid
without rains .
i am caught up
in a vortex of poetry
bound in chains
so i think i will
go out to kurla
shoot the beggars
the homeless living
lifelong in pain
at Flickr after
exceeding 1 TG
no batch uploads
screws my brains
$499.99 per year
2 Terabytes of photo
and video space
All the benefits of
a free account
breaks the heart
hits the brain
dear ms marissa mayer
for a hobbyist photographer
incorrigible blogger with
a rapidly falling rupee
is a mindless thought
insane ..please consider
be humane .
.the old pro
flickr account
for $25 per year
unlimited uploads
if you could kindly
bring back again
#firozeshakir
#beggarpoet
Politicians of all hues in Maharashtra are vying with each other to announce huge prize monies for breaking the 'dahi handis' here on the occasion of Gokulashtami, one of the most popular festivals of the city.
Some of the biggest and most talked-about 'dahi handis' (curd pots tied at a height to be broken by competing youngsters) 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 as well as Pratap Rao Sarnaik promoted "Sankalp Pratishthan" Dahi Handi in adjoining Thane are the biggest handi in terms of prize money. The 'Govinda' group (young men who form a human pyramid to reach the pot) that breaks the handi will take home a whopping Rs 25 lakh.
MNS legislator Ram Kadam-sponsored Dahi handi in Ghatkopar West will fetch the winner Rs 31-lakh prize, said to be the highest in Mumbai.
Minority Welfare Minister Naseem Khan's mandal has announced Rs 7, 77,777 for breaking the handi at Ghatkapor in central suburb.
Govinda mandals need to form nine or ten-tier pyramids to break most of the pots and walk away with the prizes. Apart from the big ones there are hundreds of other smaller `dahi handis' which are organised across the metropolis.
Girgaum, Mumbai, India
“The Govindas” (Troupes of Lord Krishna) forming a human pyramid to break the handi which is suspended at a height of 20 to 40 feet. More than 400 organisations set up dahi handis all over the city.
Dahi Handi is a popular ceremony held on the second day of Janmashthami, the festival celebrating the birth of Lord Krishna. The word ‘dahi’ means ‘curd,’ while ‘handi’ means pot. These words refer to the pot of curd, which is to be claimed as a prize during this special ceremony.
This ceremony actually reenacts the childhood pranks of Lord Krishna, who had a special affinity towards milk and butter. The lord along with his friends used to steal milk and butter from the houses in their village. Usually these food items would be hung from the roof beams to keep them out of reach. The Lord along with his friends used to form a human pyramid and reach the food items and steal them.
People enjoying the sight of govindas breaking dahi handi from their buildings.
Mumbai, India
“The Govindas” (Troupes of Lord Krishna) forming a human pyramid to break the handi which is suspended at a height of 20 to 40 feet. More than 400 organisations set up dahi handis all over the city.
Dahi Handi is a popular ceremony held on the second day of Janmashthami, the festival celebrating the birth of Lord Krishna. The word ‘dahi’ means ‘curd,’ while ‘handi’ means pot. These words refer to the pot of curd, which is to be claimed as a prize during this special ceremony.
This ceremony actually reenacts the childhood pranks of Lord Krishna, who had a special affinity towards milk and butter. The lord along with his friends used to steal milk and butter from the houses in their village. Usually these food items would be hung from the roof beams to keep them out of reach. The Lord along with his friends used to form a human pyramid and reach the food items and steal them.
Mumbai, India
“The Govindas” (Troupes of Lord Krishna) forming a human pyramid to break the handi which is suspended at a height of 20 to 40 feet. More than 400 organisations set up dahi handis all over the city.
Dahi Handi is a popular ceremony held on the second day of Janmashthami, the festival celebrating the birth of Lord Krishna. The word ‘dahi’ means ‘curd,’ while ‘handi’ means pot. These words refer to the pot of curd, which is to be claimed as a prize during this special ceremony.
This ceremony actually reenacts the childhood pranks of Lord Krishna, who had a special affinity towards milk and butter. The lord along with his friends used to steal milk and butter from the houses in their village. Usually these food items would be hung from the roof beams to keep them out of reach. The Lord along with his friends used to form a human pyramid and reach the food items and steal them.
India-Mumbai
A seven to eight layer human pyramid collapses while attempting to break the dahi handi. “The Govindas” (Troupes of Lord Krishna) forming a human pyramid to break the handi which is suspended at a height of 20 to 40 feet. More than 400 organisations set up dahi handis all over the city.
Dahi Handi is a popular ceremony held on the second day of Janmashthami, the festival celebrating the birth of Lord Krishna. The word ‘dahi’ means ‘curd,’ while ‘handi’ means pot. These words refer to the pot of curd, which is to be claimed as a prize during this special ceremony.
This ceremony actually reenacts the childhood pranks of Lord Krishna, who had a special affinity towards milk and butter. The lord along with his friends used to steal milk and butter from the houses in their village. Usually these food items would be hung from the roof beams to keep them out of reach. The Lord along with his friends used to form a human pyramid and reach the food items and steal them.