Art of scaling Heights

Fast forward to the next mandal- Mazgaon Tadwadi Mitra mandal. Arun Patil,a coach at the mandal,said that six to 36-year-old persons have been rigorously training for two to three hours every evening. Patil says,while climbing,a Govinda needs to place his feet on the shoulder of another Govinda for a better grip. The posture is crucial — the back straight and never leaning back. Sometimes,a shidi (ladder) player is used who acts as a supplementary step to help the Govindas climb the upper tiers. Each Govinda is always trained for two positions.

Trusting one another with their lives is also a crucial part of the training. “The safety of each Govinda is every other Govinda’s responsibility,” Patil says. While breaking the handi is the most talked about part of the event,Patil said his favourite part of the show is to see how a mandal manages to lower its Govindas. “You can tell how good the Govindas are if they lower the pyramid one tier at a time. Those are the real Govindas,” he adds.

Mahendra Naik,who has coached men Govindas before,feels women govindas are more focussed. Currently engaged with the Sankalp Mitra mandal,Thane,the largest women-only mandal in the city,Naik said,“Being one of the only-women Govinda mandals in the city,the girls practise with enthusiasm. They often push themselves to build more tiers and train for longer hours without being distracted,” he adds.

The women Govindas here are aged between five to 35. Naik said many girls quit being Govindas after marriage. However,he adds,they come back a year or two later. “Once a Govinda always a Govinda. When you start playing music and tie the handi,a Govinda’s feet instinctively turn towards the maidan.”

Around 100 metres away,the Govindas start practising at the Sanyog Mitra mandal. Sachin Kharkar,who was invited by the Spanish Catalonian Castellers last year,says,“The rain being a big part of the day,it adds to the challenge and excitement.”

Training Govindas has more than one incentive,feels Sandeep Bhole,the coach of the Jai Jawan Mitra Mandal. Starting the mandal in the year 2000,was the best initiative for their locality,he says. Their slum in Jogeshwari was until recently a blacklisted area. “Once we started training our boys for dahi handi,the whole equation changed. The boys would come home tired from schools and work places. We started encouraging them to channelise their energy.” Bhole says the intense three to four hour practice sessions resulted in lesser distractions in the community. “Our locality became safer,” he says.

As the clock strikes twelve,Bhole dismisses the Govindas for the day. “The aim is not really to win money for the mandal,but to keep these boys on track. We want to bring a sense of community,safety and security to our slum,” Bhole says with a smile.