Dahi Handi Festival: Important Topics for UPSC Exams​

Dahi Handi Festival: Important Topics for UPSC Exams​

What is it?

• It is one of the festive events and a team sport during the Hindu festival Gokulashtami.
• It is also known as Krishna Janmashtami in the rest of the country, and celebrates the birth of Krishna.
• It is popular in Maharashtra and nearby regions of India.
• The event involves making a human pyramid and breaking an earthen pot filled with milk, curd, butter, fruits and water which is hung at a convenient height, thus imitating the actions of child Krishna.

What are some problematic Issues in the event?

• As per the Journal of Postgraduate Medicine report of 2012 "There is a considerable risk of serious, life-threatening injuries inherent to human pyramid formation and descent in the Dahihandi festival"
  Traffic Congestion and excessive littering.
• Sound pollution.
• Height of the earthen pot (Matki) many a times causes tragic accidents and recently Supreme Court prescribed some guidelines for it. However, it was not followed in some places.
• Number of injuries due to such event is increasing due to rising competitions among groups to reach the top first.