MUMBAI: The ruthlessly competitive dahi handi pyramid has turned into a Frankenstein, as its creators find they are unable to control the monster they generated. On Monday, one of the biggest organizers in the business, Shiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik of Thane, announced he had discontinued his event owing to multiple factors.

“We have decided to bite the bullet. Our Sanskruti Yuva Pratishthan will not organise dahi handi owing to various reasons. This season at least two young boys have lost their lives during ‘sarav’ (practice). On humanitarian grounds, my father feels it would not be appropriate to host a lavish celebration. Moreover, since the Child Rights Commission has ordered that children under 12 should not climb the pyramid, insurance companies have refused to provide cover,” his son Vihang informed TOI. Sponsors and equipment hirers are also uncertain.

Experts say if the state government had declared dahi handi a sport, some rules and regulations could have been formulated. MLA Sarnaik claimed he wrote several letters to the government, urging it to do so. “Our pleas have fallen on deaf ears, so we shall suspend festivities. It is heartbreaking because it was the popularity of this event that elevated me from corporator to MLA. Once my party forms the government in the state, I will recommend rules and resume dahi handi celebrations ,” he said.

However, his political rival Jitendra Awhad of the NCP has not altered his plans. “I am amused to see those who use Hindutva as a bargaining tool have chosen to abandon dahi handi at the first hint of trouble. Things are getting difficult with revised decibel levels and children being barred but I have been associated with dahi handi for 45 years and will not allow it to die out. I strongly feel that uniform laws, including decibel limits, should be set across Mumbai and Thane,” he said.

Vihang said prominent mandals push young children to compete for alluring prize money. Smaller mandals, meanwhile, are untrained gully teams not conversant with technique. “We have won a place in the Guinness World Records and the Limca Book for a record nine tiers. How much higher can one go? It is not humanly possible to craft 10 or 11 layers. Most organisers started out celebrating a festival but failed to realise when dahi handi degenerated into an event, then a war. The electronic media and politicians both fed this frenzy,” Vihang said.

