The story of human pyramids and Govindas

It was initially a stronghold of men and it was classified as among the most dangerous sports. Falls were frequent and breaking bones, bleeding injuries, damaged skulls and fractures were as frequent as they could be. Yet, this sport never lost its popularity.

On the other hand, the advent of television, Internet and mass media gave a new meaning and thrust to the sport and today it is no longer confined to one city of the country but is popular among the masses all over.

This is one sport where everybody is an equal Servant and masters and today middle aged men, youth and even children join hands to celebrate the sport and the prize money now runs into lakhs and sometime even on crores.

Politicians, cricket players, sports persons, film actors and even academicians play the sport for the sheer thrill it gives and the adrenaline its sets flowing.

The sport virtually brings life to a standstill. No wonder it has gained national and international recognition and today, legislators are debating whether to officially accord sport tag to the event so that participants can take benefits that are given to persons participating in other sports such as cricket, hockey and football.

This is the spectacular Dahi Handi of Mumbai. Dahi Handi means forming a human chain or a pyramid and breaking a matka or pot and it is closely associated with the legend of Lord Krishna and his childhood prank of stealing butter and ghee from pots tied high up in kitchens of people.

The sport is generally played out on Krishnaastami or Gokulastami and it virtually brings life in Mumbai to a grinding halt. People of all ages, caste, community and even foreigners enthusiastically take part in the sport.

Make no mistake. It is a dangerous sport as the pots are tied and hung several hundred feet high above the ground or roads. People form human pyramids, clambering one upon the other and the smallest and less weight of them stands on top and breaks the pot to a roar from the crowd gathered.

Falls are frequent and injuries common to Govindas. People who are part of the human chain are called Govindas and this year 99 Govindas were injured across Mumbai.        

The Govindas clamber upon each other even as the crowds yell Ala Re Ala, Govinda Ala. Some in the crowds throw water on the Govindas so as to make climbing more difficult.

This year, actor Shahrukh Khan was seen at the dahi handi organised by MNS MLA Ram Kadam in Ghatkopar.
A cash reward of Rs 50 lakh had been announced for Govinda mandal which manages to break the pot by forming a nine-layer pyramid.
Ddahi handis with lucrative cash prizes are common in Thane and one of the most prominent is the one organised by Sangharsh Mandal of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA Jitendra Awhad who has annopubnced a prize of Rs. 1.11 crores. Another NCP leader Sachin Ahir’s NGO Dahi Handi in Jambooree Maidan at Worli has a prize money close to Rs 1 crore. He is also the Maharashtar Minister of Housing.
Shiv Sena leader from Sion, Ajay Dadgujar, has announced a prize money of Rs1 crore for the Handi in the Bandra Kurla Complex.
The BJP this year distributed masks and T-shirts bearing the image of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, to 30,000 Govinda teams, apparently to project him as the party's prime ministerial candidate.
Women Govindas too are now taking to this sport and they too have their own teams. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena’s Kishor Shinde organised an all-girls' dahi handi for the third consecutive year in Kothrud. There are a lot of mahila govindas in Navi Mumbai who have come to the forefront to participate in breaking of the pots. And this not only includes adults, but also small girls in the age group of seven to 12.

Organisers of the Suvarnayug Mandal decided to donate Rs1 lakh to the family of martyr Kundalik Mane, one of the five soldiers of the Indian Army, killed by the Pakistani troops in Poonch recently.
Though Dahi Handi is popular across Maharashtra, it is in Mumbai and Thane that the celebrations are considered to be special. At the latest count, there were more than 500 mandals from these two areas participating in the sport.
The Dahi Handis are attracting political attention. The Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar distributed insurance policies to around 350 mandals. As many as 30,000 members of dahi handi teams have been given insurance policies with a cover of Rs 1.5 lakh per person.

Two years ago, ten people from Mumbai had visited Spain while five Spaniards had come to city to watch the human pyramid festival and share the experience.

A similar festival in Spain is held annually in Castelle.  A castell (Catalan pronunciation) is a human tower built traditionally in festivals at many locations within Catalonia. At these festivals, several colles castelleres or teams often succeed in building and dismantling a tower's structure. On November 16, 2010, castells were declared by UNESCO to be amongst the Masterpieces of  the oral and intangible heritage of humanity..

The Maharashtra State Tourism Board has invited 250 Spanish castellers and 150 homegrown govindas from Thane for a dahi handi competition at the Gateway.

With politicians jumping bi time into Dahi Handis, legislators and mandals (associations) are demanding inclusion of Dahi Handi in the state sports policy. If so declared, it will help youth get jobs in government and banking sectors under the sports quota.

Incidentally, the Dahi Handi has been covered by the BBC in 2010. The origin of the sport,  Govinda, goes back to the eighteenth century in Girgaum where it was essentially a  religious ceremony. It was started by the community of Pathare Prabhus and slowly it spread to other communities and other areas. The sport has proved so popular that a business management school in Mumbai has prescribed Govinda as a lesson in their training course.

The world's largest laundromat

This is the world’s biggest open air Laundromat. It is the scene of many films and has now transformed itself into an international sight seeing exhibit.

This is the famous Dhobi Ghat of Mumbai. It is commonly called the Mahalaxmi Dhobi Ghat and it is the best known among the twelve open air laundromats of Mumbai.

The dhobis or washers work in the open to wash the clothes from Mumbai's hotels and hospitals. The Dhobi Ghat comprises of  rows upon rows of open-air concrete wash pens, each fitted with its own flogging stone.

Simply called the world's largest outdoor laundry, Dhobi Ghat is a very popular attraction among foreign tourists and it is a great photo op for them. Several films have been shot here and even the venerable New York Times has carried an article on it.

Bollywood has named an entire film after the Dhobi Ghat. Its names: Of course Dhobi Ghat and it was released in January 2011. The film is also known as Mumbai diaries and it stars  Amir Khan, Prateik Babbar and others. Bollywood’s iconic film Don starring Amitabh Bachchan was shot here-a song from the film was shot at the Washermen Colony in Mahalakshmi- as was Sanjay Dutt’s Munnabhai.

Just a few months ago, Tamil actor Vijay was at the Ghat shooting for his film Thupaki and Anil Kapoor some time ago for the Hindi film Shootout at Wadala.  

The who is who of the world have come and seen the Dhobiu Ghat and gone back impressed. Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, former US President  Bill Clinton, the Australian Cricket team, and others have visited the Ghat.  

Since it is located next to the Mahalakshmi Railway Station on the Western Railway network at Saat Rasta roundabout, it is also called Mahalakshmi Dhobi Ghat.

The beginnings of the Dhobi Ghat go back to the time when Europeans and Parsis made Bombay their home in the 19^th century and the city began to industrialise. It was sometime between 1885 and 1890 that the Ghat was set up and later it had 731 washing stones (Today too there are the same number).

The dhobi Ghat can easily be seen from flyover bridge of Mahalaxmi suburban railway station. 

In 2013, World Records India and World Amazing Records honored World Record Certificate to Dhobi Kalyan & Audhyogik Vikas Co- op. Society Ltd and recognized the ghat as the largest open air laundry in the world.

The Dhobi Ghat, by any stretch of imagination, is a stupendous sight. You can see hundreds of washermen or dhobis washing clothes, dipping soiled clothes in huge buckets filled with soapy suds.

The washed clothes are then dried under the open sky and you can see rows and rows of clothes hung out to dry. One hundred to one hundred and fifty clothes are hung out to dry on each rope which is tied to a bamboo pole at opposite ends.

What many do not know is that only a handful of dhobis here are involved in washing clothes of individual people or families. Most of them wash clothes which come from hotels, hospitals and commercial establishments like restaurants, guest houses.

It is a sight to see hundreds of washermen dip clothes in boiling water containing washing soda and then systematically flogged on the stone slabs set in the concrete pens. Over a lakh clothes are washed every day, ironed and handed back to the customers the same day.

After the clothes dry, they are  ironed with charcoal presses which are very heavy. These charcoal presses have wooden handles and the burning embers emit sufficient heat to press clothes.

According to the latest statistics, more than 200 families are involved in the hereditary profession. Though the Ghat has automatic washing machines, they are not used as dhobis prefer the manual way. The iconic Dhobi Ghat is getting a make over, thanks to the Mumbai Municipal Corporation.

The Dhobi Ghat is more than a century old and the washing and drying area is spread over a 23-acre plot. The flooring was done when the Britishers were ruling India.

Typically, Dhobi Ghat uses about 9.000 kilograms of wood per day and the total expenditure come to about Rs 27,000 a day. The municipality rents out over 800 washing pens (each fitted with a beating stone) to the dhobis at Mahalaxmi Dhobi Ghat and to make the most of them, work starts well before sunrise.

The Dhobi Ghat has fourteen doors and the  main door has the sign of the Washermen cooperative society-the  Dhobi Kalyan and Audyogik Vikas Co-operative society”, above it. Till the 1960s, a watchman used to ring the bell to signal the opening of the Ghat. The watchman also ensured that nobody stayed back at the Ghat.   

Another fairly big open air laundry or Dhobi Ghat is at Colaba. This is just off  Captain Prakash Pehe Marg. The Dhobi Ghat remains open daily 24 hours. Initially, many of the dhobis were from Uttar Pradesh. Now, you can find dhobis from Gujarati, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and even Bihar.

Today, there are slum tours and guided outings to Dhobi Ghat: All at a price of course. Take the tour of Dhobi Ghat or do it on your own if you can stand the smell of detergent.  

The forests and sanctuaries of Karnataka

Many visitors to the blog and friends have asked us to give us a tabular post on the many wildlife sanctuaries in Karnataka, the area in which they are situated and the best season to visit them.

The Forest Department has a list of forests, reserves, sanctuaries and biospheres. Bookings can be made at the Aranya Bhavan in Malleswaram, Bangalore, and also at Jungle Lodges and Resorts on MG Road and Khanija Bhavan office at Race Course Road.

If you are visiting forests, prior permission is necessary and it is best to take along guides if you are going for a trek or a safari. Now is the best time to visit the jungles as the forests will be lush green and the climate pleasant.

Summers can get pretty uncomfortable though that would be the best season to see almost all the wildlife. Barring the lion, giraffe and species native to Australia and New Zealand such as Ostrich, Kiwi and Chinese such as Pandas, the forests in Karnataka are home to a wide variety of animals, including elephants, tigers, dholes, hyneas, wolf, fox, jackal, snakes, bear, boar and what not.

So here goes the list and it is reproduced from the website of the Karnataka Forest Department. All credit goes to the department and we are just reproducing them for the benefit of readers and visitors.          

Karnataka has long history of efficient management of Forestry and Wildlife. The total geographical area in the State is 1,91,791 sq. kms out of which the forest area is about 43,356.95 sq. kms which constitutes about 22.6% . The Karnataka Forest Act, 1963 and Rules 1969 regulate working in the forest areas. The State has 5 National Parks and 22 Wildlife Sanctuaries covering an area of 6576.76 sq. kms. which forms nearly 15.17% of the total forest area as protected area. Wildlife (Protection) Act was enacted during 1972 by Government of India to provide for the protection of wild animals, birds and plants and with a view to ensuring the ecological and environmental security of the country. The elephant population in India is around 25,000 of which the estimated population in Karnataka is around 5590(Census 2010), which constitutes about 22% of the total population. Forest occupancy of Tigers, Co-predators, Prey and population estimates of tigers. State     Tiger    (sq km) Leopard (sq km) Dhole (sq km) Bear (sq km) Chital (sq km) Wild Pig (sq km) Sambar (sq km) Tiger numbers Karnataka 18715 20506 15862 20749 42349 21999 43412 290 Estimation of lower limit for tiger population - 241 Estimation of upper limit for tiger population - 339  *Source: Wildlife Institute of India Report 2008. Name of the National Parks Area (sq.km) Nearest Dist. HQ Season to Visit Anshi National Park 417.34 Karwar 60 Bangalore 580 Nov-Jun Bandipur National Park 872.24 Chamarajnagar 52 Bangalore 218 Jun-Oct Bannerghatta National Park 260.51 Bangalore-22.0 All Seasons Kudremukha National Park 600.57 Udupi 90 Bangalore 263 Dec-May Nagarahole National Park 643.39 Mysore 120 Bangalore 240 Sept.-Mar Name of the Sanctuary Area (sq.km) Nearest Dist. HQ Season to Visit Adichunchanagiri Peacock Sanctuary 0.84 Mandya 90 Bangalore 112 All Seasons Arabithittu Wildlife Sanctuary 13.50 Mysore 28 Bangalore 170 Dec-Feb Attiveri Bird Sanctuary 2.23 Karwar 85 Bangalore 400 Oct.-Dec BRT Wildlife Sanctuary 539.52 Chamarajnagar 35 Bangalore 234 Oct-May Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary 500.16 Chickmagalur 76 Bangalore 257 Sept.- Mar Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary 181.29 Madikeri 50 Bangalore 250 Jan-Mar Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary 1027.53 Ramnagar 30 Bangalore 87 May-Nov Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary 886.41 Dharwad 67 Bangalore 482 Sep.-May Doraji Bear Sanctuary 82.72 Bellary 41 Bangalore 350 Sep-Jan Ghataprabha Wildlife Sanctuary 29.78 Belgaum 82 Bangalore 505 Oct.-Dec Gudavi Bird Sanctuary 0.73 Shimoga 112 Bangalore 377 Jun.-Nov Melukote Wildlife Sanctuary 49.82 Mandya 40 Bangalore 140 Oct-Apr. Mookambika Wildlife Sanctuary 370.37 Udupi 62 Bangalore 430 Nov.-Apr. Nugu Wildlife Sanctuary 30.32 Mysore 57 Bangalore 202 Oct-Apr. Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary 102.59 Madikeri 12 Bangalore 250 Jan.-Mar Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary 0.67 Mysore 16 Bangalore 125 All Seasons Ranibennur Blackbuck Sanctuary 119.00 Haveri 32 Bangalore 301 May – Jan Sharavathi Wildlife Sanctuary 431.23 Talguppa-6.5 Mangalore 206.5 Nov-May Shettihalli Wildlife Sanctuary 395.60 Shimoga 1 Bangalore 270 Nov.-May Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary 314.25 Udupi 47 Bangalore 373 Nov.-Apr. Thalakaveri Wildlife Sanctuary 105.59 Madikeri 38 Bangalore 290 May-Jun Oct-Jan Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary 190.42 Belgaum Nov-Jun Rangayyanadurga Four-horned antelope Sanctuary 77.23 - - Chincholi Wildlife Sanctuary 134.88 - - Ramadevarabetta Vulture Sanctuary 3.46 - - Name of the Reserve Area (sq. kms) Year of Establishment Bankapura Peacock Conservation Reserve 0.56 2006 Mydhanahalli(Jayamangali) Black Buck Conservation Reserve 3.23 2007 Basur Amruth Mahal Kaval Conservation Reserve 7.36 2011 Hornbill Conservation Reserve 52.5 2011 Aghanashini Conservation Reserve 299.52 2011 Bedthi Conservation Reserve 57.3 2011 Shalmale Riparian Bio-system Conservation Reserve 4.89 2012 Kokkare Bellur Community Reserve 3.12 2007 Name of the Tiger Reserve Area (sq. kms) Year of Establishment Bandipur 870 1973 Bhadra 492 1998 Nagarahole 643 2000 Dandeli-Anshi 475 2006 BRT 539.52 2011 Name of the Reserve Area (Sq.kms) Year of Establihsment Nilgiri 2053.27 1986