ProMASS News Bureau: Aug 25, 2016: Tripura is fast moving to normalcy after violence broke out during an IPFT rally in Agartala on Aug 23. Rumour mongers were busy in projecting the political violence as clash between Bengali and tribal people. However, defying the plan of conspirators and demonstrating unique ethnical harmony, people of Tripura is set to observe Janmashtami with usual serenity and gaiety.
Along with Tripura, Janmashtami, which marks the birth of Lord Sri Krishna, is being celebrated with great fervour and gaiety across India. Temples in Mathura and Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh have been decorated and illuminated tastefully. President, Vice President and the Prime Minister have greeted people on the auspicious occasion. In Mumbai, the three-day celebrations began on Wednesday in temples. Devotees thronged temples to offer prayers. While worshiping Lord Krishna is a big ritual, Dahi Handi festival is also a key attraction in Maharashtra and across India. The ritual involves making a human pyramid and breaking an earthen pot filled with curd tied at a height. It is mostly popular in the state of Maharashtra.
Earlier on Wednesday, in a blow to the organisers of the famous ‘Dahi-handi’ festival, Supreme Court refused to modify its order capping at 20 feet the height of the human pyramid in the ritual observed during Janmastami across Maharashtra. The court, on August 17, had refused to relax conditions put by the High Court like barring youths below 18 years of age from participating in ‘Dahi-Handi’ festival in Maharashtra and capping the height of the human pyramid at 20 feet. At the outset, the bench did not agree with the contention that the festival had the colour of popular sport and there should be no cap on the height of the pyramid in view of the fact that the court has already barred youth below 18 years of age from taking part in it.
The counsel for Jogeshwari-based ‘Jai Jawan Krida Mandal Govinda Pathak’ said the highest height of the human pyramid at 43.79 feet has found mention in the Guinness Book of World Records and capping it would be “unfair”.
In the forenoon, the fresh plea seeking modification of the order relating to cap of 20 feet height of human pyramid, was mentioned by the organisation, saying it was urgent as the festival was to be held on Thursday.
The bench instantly agreed to hear it at 12.30 pm. The organisation said now that youngsters below 18 years of age have been barred from participating in the Dahi-Handi ritual, the cap on the height of the human pyramid should be relaxed as adventure is part of every sport. The Supreme Court had earlier refused to relax conditions put by the Bombay High Court like barring youths below 18 years of age from participating in the ritual of Janmashtami festival in Maharashtra and capping the height of the human pyramid at 20 feet. The bench had, however, suspended the operation of two directions passed by the High Court to regulate the ‘Dahi-Handi’ festival. One of the directions, suspended by the apex court, related to amending the existing law to bar children below 18 years of age from participating in dangerous performances like being part of the human pyramid of ‘Dahi-Handi’ festival.
The second direction of the High Court, which was also suspended, related to the part of the order which makes it mandatory for the organisers to apprise the authorities 15 days in advance about various aspects such as place of celebration, its timing and personal information, including the birth certificates, of participating ‘Govindas’ on the ground of paucity of sufficient time. The Supreme Court had on August 10 revived a plea challenging a Bombay HC order restricting the height of human pyramids to 20 feet for ‘Dahi-Handi’ ritual, saying it needed to hear the PIL petitioner before passing any order.
