Govinda Aala Re Aala!

Like I said in a previous article, last week I had attended a 3-day conference. Delegates from different countries had attended the event.
During the tea-break on the first day, I met a girl from Indonesia, who asked me where they form human pyramid. Initially, I did not know what she was talking about. But slowly I realised that she was talking about the Dahi Handi event happening that Sunday.
She asked me more about the event. When I began the explanation, I felt so proud of our culture that I started with, “On Saturday Lord Krishna will be born. And the next day He will have some fun.”

The girl was so impressed that she actually clapped her hands. Then I told her that on Sunday boys from different places would form groups and reach places where the Dahi Handi were hung. On her enquiry, I told her that there are often official groups or clubs.
The Dahi Handi is a pot containing curd, which is hung between buildings, with a horizontal rope. To the rope will also be tied money and some vegetables and fruits according to their budget.
The leader of the group is lifted in a human pyramid made of the other boys. The pyramid may not reach the Dahi Handi immediately. The whole pyramid may break and all the boys may fall down.
In some places, the people from the surrounding buildings may throw water from buckets. Even this can make the human pyramid lose their balance.

But they do not lose hope and finally the leader reaches the Handi and breaks it with his head. The entire human pyramid is showered with the curd and the leader loots the money and the stuff tied to the rope.
Dahi Handi is a predominantly boys’ affair. But then 2 days back I received a mail from a PR that Rajeshahi Pratishthan Pune’s first biggest women professional Dahi Handi was also organized this time in Chinchwad.
So it’s not always, “Govinda aala re aala! Zara matki sambhal brijbala! (Mohammad Rafi’ song from Bluff Master1963)”
But now, “Aali aali re brijbala! Zara bachke sambhal ke ji rehna!”
Way to go, Girls!