Mumbai: The streets that wear a deserted look on Sundays were today cramped with troupes of Lord Krishna travelling in trucks and singing 'Govinda aala re, aala zara matki sambhal Brijbala...' on the occasion of Janmaashtami, colloquially known as 'Dahi Handi'.
The festival is celebrated in every nook and corner of the city with much zeal and enthusiasm. The visitors could see and enjoy the most famous 'Dahi-Handis', clay pots filled with yogurt and butter suspended high above the ground, at Dadar, Mazagon, Lalbaug and also in Thane.
'Dahi Handi' is marked as the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna. According to mythology, Lord Krishna, who was fond of yoghurt and butter, used to steal them with the help of his friends -- Govindas -- by forming a human pyramid.
Similarly, modern-day Govindas form human pyramids and break these pots not only as a custom, but also for a prize which now runs in lakhs.
As the competition has become stiff, youngsters compete with each other, trying to break as many 'handis' as possible. Building a human pyramid is in itself a challenging task and requires high degree of training and preparation, despite all this some deaths and injuries are reported every year.
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