Amidst tight security, dahi handi lack the usual zeal

PUNE: Janmashtami celebrations across the city on Friday may have seemed subdued to those who have witnessed the festival here for ages, as underneath the pomp and merriment of the dahi handi, there was a cautious stance, where several mandals downplayed the festival by doing away with dolby sound systems and wrapping up the festivities earlier than usual. The heavy police deployment across the city added to the passivity, even as the numbers that turned up to witness the celebrations seemed thinner than last year.
The two major mandals in Mandai, Babu Genu Mandal and Suwarna Yug Mandal (whose celebrations usually attract a crowd of about one lakh every year), kicked off the dahi handi rituals amidst a crowd of 75,000-odd people each. "The crowd is visibly thinner than last year, perhaps due to the recent serial blasts in Pune, which may have made people a little cautious," said a spectator.
Members of the Babu Genu mandal, however, had decided to celebrate the festival like last year, with loud music streaming out of several dolby sound systems and live dance performances, dished out by popular Marathi television actors. Colourful firecrackers going off into the night sky added to the festive charm here, thickening the crowd as time passed.
The dahi handis of both the mandals were set at a dizzying height of 60-70 feet, while human pyramids attempted to smash them. Kumar Devendra, a performer from the dance group RnD Boys, said, "Eighteen of us are here to perform for the Babu Genu Mandal. This is my first performance ever in Mandai and I feel I'm performing on a very different platform than usual. We were a little cautious when we started performing, as this is a crowded location and the memory of the recent blast is still fresh. Gradually, we slipped into the festive fervour and are feeling very happy with the energy here."
Police bandobast around the two mandals was doubled this year, with over 200 police personnel deployed across Mandai. Makarand Ranade, deputy commissioner of police (Zone 1), said, "All police personnel are on field today. Each band of officials is patrolling the areas designated keep a check on the crowd.
Patrolling will assure people that the police are constantly keeping a vigil. We have also spoken to mandal volunteers and the proceedings seem peaceful."
Sub-inspector Yashwant Rakshe said around 250 police officials have been deployed in myriad dress codes around various major mandals in Mandai.
Rahul Kapare, a volunteer with Suwarna Yog mandal, said, "The impact of the blast can be seen from the size of the crowd this year. I have witnessed Janmashtami celebrations in Pune for 20 years and I definitely feel that the number of spectators this year is less."
Praveen Dhavale, another volunteer of this mandal, said, "The rush of people is lesser than last year. Most of our mandal workers are spread across the area, as the mandal's president has asked them to be vigilant. He has also asked us to report to him in case we find any suspicious material."
Hemant Rasne, president, Suwarna Yog mandal, added that their mandal has deliberately toned down the celebrations this year. "We have invited a dhol tashe group for music instead of installing dolby sound systems. We are therefore trying our best to help the police.
We also allowed the traffic to pass by the chowk till 7 pm, so that people returning from work do not get stuck here. The aim was to help police expend less manpower on controlling traffic and more on keeping the area secure of any menace."
The Akra Maruti Chowk Mandal near Bajirao Road donated school stationary worth Rs 25,000 to less privileged children that participated in their Dahi Handi celebrations. The mandal had invited a dhol tashe group to play music during the celebrations, and installed 1000 watt metal light fixtures around their setup. "The police had asked us to increase the lighting here so that each person in crowd is visible. This is one of the many instructions they asked us to follow for security reasons," said Vinayak Ghate, president of the mandal.
Nitin Pandit, treasurer of the Tulsibaug Ganesh Utsav Mandal, said, "There is heavy police deployment here. Around 20 police personnel have patrolled the area twice in one-and-a-half hour." The mandal had donated about 550 kgs of grains to an NGO working for less privileged and disabled children this Janmashtami.