Now, netas bat for '‘Dahi Handi’' sport

If all goes as per plan, very soon, Dahi Handi or the ceremony where human pyramids are formed to celebrate Krishna Janmashtami, will be considered a sports activity.

After organising glamourous and successful Dahi Handis in the city last year, city MLAs and mandals have come together demanding the inclusion of Dahi Handi in the state sports policy.

This will also help participants get jobs in the government and banking sector under the prescribed sports quota.

There are almost 500 mandals in Mumbai and Thane region, which actively celebrate this festival. The move is expected to attract more youth to participate in the traditional festival and encourage coaching in a scientific way.

“Dahi Handi is a festival but it is like a sports activity. Here, people can participate regularly to give their best performance. We have decided to approach the state sport minister to press for our demand,” said Sachin Ahir, minister of state for housing and chief of Sankalp Partishthan, which organises the Dahi Handi at Jambhori Maidan (Worli), where more than 300 city mandals take part.

He added, “Dahi Handi is a one-day event. But for that one day, participants have to take several days' training. Some of the city mandals start practice a month before the festival day and even appoint a tutor to sharp their skills and rectify mistakes.” Ram Kadam, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena's MLA, said, “It is a good move and putting aside our political differences, we will come together to materialise this demand. Nowadays, people are taking this festival seriously. The corporate sector is also coming forward to help organise things in a systematic manner.”

“People put in a lot of diligent work for this. Once it is recognised as a sport and people start getting jobs in various sectors, more will take part in the festival,” said Sandeep Dhavale, coach of Jai Jawan Govind Mandal, Jogeshwari, the mandal that created a record of nine pyramids last year.