MUMBAI: Maharashtra celebrated the Dahi Handi festival by making a historic world record with the formation of a ten-tier Govinda human pyramid in Thane.
During the Dahi Handi festival, one Govinda died while tying the rope to climb for Govindas at Mankhurd, while 30 Govindas got injured in different parts of the city in Mumbai.
The historic world record was achieved by Jogeshwari's Konkan Nagar Govinda Pathak by forming a 10-tier human pyramid at the Sanskruti Dahi Handi festival in Thane, hosted by Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik. It was this year's first 10-storey pyramid.
This pathak also incorporated a ‘Char Ekka' formation. It's a formation where four participants are stacked atop a single person. This feat requires remarkable strength, balance, and coordination.
The transport minister, Sarnaik, congratulated the team, saying, "This is not a record, it's a sign of focus, teamwork, and organisation. The Govindas have indeed shown skill and commitment." The minister also awarded Rs 25 lakh as a cash prize to this mandal that made the world record by forming a tenth-tier human pyramid.
Earlier, the ninth-tier formation of a human pyramid was done by Jai Jawan Mitra Mandal Govinda for five consecutive years. But Jogeshwari's Konkan Nagar Govinda Pathak, by forming a 10-tier human pyramid, broke all previous records.
Dahi Handi has been celebrated with much fanfare in Maharashtra, mostly in metro cities of Mumbai, Pune, and Nasik, by forming a human pyramid. This festival, inspired by the legend of Lord Krishna's love for butter, has grown into a grand spectacle in Maharashtra over the years. Celebrities also attend this event.
In Mankhurd, a 32-year-old Govinda named Shivkumar Chaurdhari, lost his balance and died while tying the rope. In the city civic hospital, 30 Govindas who got injured were admitted for medical treatment. Among them, 15 received treatment and were discharged.
Earlier in the day, two residents of Vikhroli Parksite died while the other two were injured in a landslide incident. The residents alleged that the BMC had not sent any prior notice this year to evacuate the area, which is prone to such accidents during monsoons. These two people died after soil and stones from a hillock collapsed on their hut at Varsha Nagar in Vikhroli Parksite amid heavy rains in the wee hours of the day.