Click to play videoMumbai: What started as a local youth festival during Janmashtami, breaking dahi-handis now has Mumbai's political parties vying to gain mileage.
But with ridiculous amounts of prize money being offered to break the highest handi at a dangerous 42 feet, are the festivities turning into a political jackpot for many?
Doing whatever it takes only to break a little pot. The dahi handi was once just a small neighbourhood event, but has today become a money-spinning, crowd-pulling political event.
The competition has reached dizzying heights this time with political organisers offering big prize money for pyramids, that have as many as nine layers or a whopping 40 feet.
The colourful posters and banners indicate how political parties are lining up and willing to raise the stakes to ensure their dahi handi celebrations get maximum crowds.
With big sponsorships riding on these handis and increasing competition among groups to out do each other, organisers don't mind taking the trophy a notch higher.
"We are doing it in an absolutely professional way. We have made promos of all the five years that have passed, and we are presenting it to various coroporates," reasons Convenor Jitendra Avhad.
Even as political parties leave no pot unturned to cash in on this opportunity, many warn that such high stakes only endanger young lives.
"For the sake of huge prize money they risk their lives," warns Yashwant Jadhav, President of the Mazgaon Tadwadi Govinda Mandal.
But many organisers have grown wiser about handling eventualities by insuring not only the participants but also the spectators.
"We don't allow such six and eight layers. We don't say, if you break the ninth layer, we will give 11 lakhs," says Sangeeta Ahir, convenor of Sankalp Pratisthan Mandal.
But with this youth festival now firmly in the grip of political patronage and becoming an increasingly risky affair, will the organisers be willing to draw the line at the risk of losing a large turnout?
(With inputs from Kajal Iyer)
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