Janmashtami 2022: After two years of muted festivities, Mumbaikars are excited about celebrating ‘Dahi Handi’ with friends, family

City-based biologist Abhishek Satam is as excited as can be for this Janmashtami and subsequent ‘Dahi Handi' celebration in the city today. Satam like many others in the city wasn't able to celebrate the festival like he would usually do because of the Covid-19 pandemic that wreaked havoc around the world. He says, "I love photography. Every year, my group of friends go around capturing the good moments of ‘Dahi Handi' in Dadar, Mahim and Lalbaug. Unfortunately, we weren't able to do it in the last two years because of Covid. We are very excited and my wife, who will be accompanying us this time, is looking forward to it."

Every year, Janmashtami is celebrated during this time of the year marking the birth of Lord Krishna. It is also one of the biggest festivals for Mumbaikars, which is followed by ‘Dahi Handi', a yearly ritual, with high stakes in many parts of the city. The enthusiasm of many Mumbaikars like Satam is understandable, especially because they haven't been able to celebrate the festival in the last two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic-induced lockdowns which meant that people were confined to their homes.

It is not only commoners but also businessmen like Premji Savaniya, a wholesale matka (mud pot) businessman in Lalbaug's Masala Galli, who we met ahead of the festive season, hoping for the best. Savaniya's family has been in the business for over 125 years and has been a part of the city for long. Ahead of the season, he prayed, "I hope I can sell more pots this season because last year I was able to sell only 200 pots compared to the 1,000 that I used to sell before that." With Savaniya's hope, Mid-day Online spoke to three Mumbaikars, who are excited to bring in the celebrations and Satam is one of them.

Abhishek Satam (in picture) brings in Janmashtami celebrations with delicious traditional dishes like shegala bhaji and rice vada, followed by lapsi kheer. Photo Courtesy: Abhishek Satam

Following tradition
Celebrating Janmashtami is a family tradition in the Satam household. He explains, "When my grandfather was young, they used to do a puja in front of a big photo of Lord Krishna. Over the years, they passed the photo on to us, and we have been doing it since then." The annual ritual is followed by delicious food made by the Lalbaug resident's mother, but will be made by his wife this time because the former is visiting her village. "Since we are from the Konkan region, we make a dish out of drumsticks called shegala bhaji and rice vada, followed by lapsi kheer," adds the 33-year-old. On the day, his family offers curd and poha to Lord Krishna as prasad, followed by regular food.

It is no different for Shivam Sawant, who cannot contain his happiness for the festival because he is among those who actively participates in breaking the Dahi Handi. While every family has their own way of celebrating the festival with the food, Sawant's house has a speciality. "Being a Maharashtrian and a foodie, how can I miss eating purnachi poli on this occasion?" he asks. The 23-year-old will be enjoying loads of sweets made by his mother when he takes a break from going around Parel breaking handis.


While Shivam Sawant has been participating in breaking the dahi handi since 2012, Mamata Amkar, who is a part of an all-women's group, has been doing it since 2007. Photo Courtesy: Shivam Sawant/Mamata Amkar

On a high note
As the city is already ready to bring in the celebrations, the excited Mumbaikar, who spoke to us ahead of his celebrations last night, said a lot is going to be happening. One of which would be his group going around in a truck shouting their pathak's name, gorging on hot vada pavs and returning with bare feet and soiled clothes. "I joined the Shree Ganesh Govinda pathak from Kalachowki in 2012. I started climbing at the age of 12 and have a different relationship with the festival since then," Sawant shares. "The festival starts with me breaking the famous handis in Mumbai and dancing on the shoulders of my friends to the song 'Mach Gaya Shor Sari Nagri Re' by the DJ," adds Sawant.

The fact that most people including the ones who love to break the handi like him haven't been able to do it in two years, says the Parel local, means that there will be a lot of energy and anticipation about the ritual.

Elsewhere in Virar, Mamata Amkar is equally excited for today because like Sawant, she is part of a group that participates in the competitions of breaking the Dahi Handi. "We are celebrating Janmashtami after two years with a lot of excitement and efforts to make the human pyramid to break the handi. So, we are looking forward to participating in every one of them in Mumbai," says the 25-year-old, who is a part of the Swastik Dahi Handi pathak in Goregaon.

At home, Amkar's family has made Lord Krishna's jhula (swing) and his flute and even prepared the dresses for him and Radha, the wife of Krishna. It will be worn by the children in the family for the occasion. This year is going to be visibly different because last year the Mumbaikar was able to only be a part of the team that hosted a blood donation camp last year when they couldn't break the Dahi Handi. While breaking Dahi Handi is going to take up her time, she will also be enjoying dosas and a mixed vegetable along with dessert.

Amkar has been participating in breaking the handi since 2007 and even though Sawant is younger and started five years later, he shares wise words. "One thing that Dahi Handi has taught me is that instead of pulling each other down, we should work together to achieve our goals," concludes the Mumbaikar.

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