Every year we get to see celebrations of Gokulashtami festival. More so in Mumbai and Thane, where so many groups of people participate. It is about breaking the curd filled mud pot, which is tied up at a certain height with a coconut. This pot is to be reached by a human ladder, wherein the top most person is able to get hold of it and eventually break it. It is a daredevil sport, which involves a lot of team work, coordination and courage to achieve the goal. Casualty levels have been always high for this sport, but it has not affected the response it gets year on year.
A lot has changed about this event in the last few years, quite obviously. Some noticeable changes are that these groups have started using buses for commuting unlike trucks and tempos in the past. A lot many women groups have started participating as well. Politicians have become more interested in sponsoring these events by announcing exorbitant prices for winner groups. Ofcourse, they difficulty levels have also increased at some famous locations to add to the excitement. Also, we have international groups coming in, like the recent Spanish Human Ladder group, to play this adventurous sport. Certain institutes and corporates, like Welingkar Institute of Management, also participate in this sport as they consider this sport to be a goal oriented sport with lots of management and teamwork teachings. However, the only unchanged thing about this day is that it always rains, no matter how good or bad the monsoons turn up that year.
The anecdote behind this sport goes back a lot many years in mythology. Krishna, a reincarnation of Lord Vishnu, was born at 12 am midnight under intense conditions. Krishna's birth is celebrated in the form of Gokulashtami. Krishna had been a mischievous lad, known for stealing curd, butter and buttermilk kept in mud pots from other houses. People, after realizing this, hanging these pots by the ceiling, keeping it at a certain height above ground level. But they could not stop the naughty Krishna. He and his friends would create a human ladder and Krishna would get hold of it eventually. This activity is celebrated today as a sport by groups of people spending the entire day searching for dahi handi's and breaking them.
I do have a small anecdote of myself related to Gopalkala. This goes back to 1989 when I was a small kid staying at my granny's place in Lower Parel B. D. D. chawl. Our building had our own Dahi Handi group of young fellows who would practice every year for more than 2 weeks before setting off for the sport on the ultimate day. I used to always watch their practice in awe. On the day of Gopalkala I went down to watch them break the handi set up by our own building. They did complete it and everyone started shouting and dancing. I joined them when they set out to conquer other handi's. From Lower Parel to Byculla our group had been successful for about 4 times. I followed the troupe, dancing all the way!
Back at home, mom and grandparents started looking out for me without any success. Dad was away at work, and there were no cell phones back then to inform immediately. Besides, my mom was too scared to tell him about it as she would have to face his wrath. For a moment a thought clicked my mom's mind that I might have joined dahi handi group. She enquired about where would the handi troupe possibly be at this time. Thanks to the set trail followed every year, she was told to search somewhere in Byculla. She got there, looked for me for close to 15-20 minutes before she spotted me dancing. She approached, hugged me and we got back home in a cab.
I was fortunate enough to be found back then, otherwise my life would have been different I guess. Anyways, I never really got a chance to be a part of the human ladder. I prefer enjoying it by the sidelines! I am actually amazed at the level of interest this event still attracts. Is it the daredevilry, the adrenalin rush that pulls the masses? Or the realization that goals can be achieved by lot of people with teamwork and focus! Maybe, but it's surely fun to watch.
