‘Heightened’ Dahi Handi revelry despite SC curb

The apex court had on Wednesday made it clear that no human pyramid could cross 20 feet in height in the entire state of Maharashtra. However, in adjoining Thane district, a dahi handi was strung up at 49 feet this morning, more than double the height allowed by the Supreme Court. The organiser is a worker of the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena. Thackeray had told workers of his party that the festival, which celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna, should be observed “the way it’s meant to be.” In suburban Dadar here, some dahi handi mandal members lay on ground and performed a ‘sleeping pyramid’ exceeding the court norm of 20 feet. 

Another mandal used a ladder to break the traditional ‘pot’ and also displayed a black flag apparently to protest against the SC ruling on the festival. A fresh plea was filed in the apex court by Jai Jawan Krida Mandal Govinda Pathak in a last ditch attempt to get over the restriction. The organisation argued that as youths below 18 years of age have been barred from participating in the dahi handi ritual, the cap on the height of the human pyramid should be relaxed as adventure is part of every sport. The Supreme Court was, however, unconvinced by the argument.