Nagpur: Dharampeth hosted one of the city’s biggest Dahi Handi events on Sunday without the deafening noise of DJs. Led by former mayor and ex-MLC Sandip Joshi, the organisers, West Nagpur BJYM, replaced the ear-shattering beats of a DJ with bhajan jamming, live orchestra and dhol-tasha.Joshi said the event was probably the first major Dahi Handi in Maharashtra to be celebrated without a DJ. He said that they wanted to support the approach advocated by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who has stressed curbing excessive DJ use through public participation and encouraging festivals to be celebrated in a more traditional manner.Joshi further said the celebration was steeped in “bhakti bhav”, with bhajans providing the soundtrack to the Govinda pathaks. He said prescribed sound limits were maintained throughout the event in keeping with prevailing court directions and credited the support of Nagpurkars for making the DJ-free celebration possible. The format was also consistent with his publicly stated stand favouring restrictions on high-decibel DJ systems and laser lights.Union minister Nitin Gadkari, who attended the celebration, extended his wishes and described Dahi Handi and Janmashtami as part of the country’s culture and sanskruti. Mirzapur actor Divyenndu Sharma, popular for his portrayal of Munna Bhaiya, joined the celebrations with Joshi later in the evening.The choice assumed significance against backdrop of the Badkas Chowk standoff on Friday, where proposed use of high-powered sound systems and beam lights led to prolonged discussions between organisers and police. The event eventually proceeded with music after the heavier bass component was dropped, and sound levels were monitored.Elsewhere, scale of celebrations rose sharply at Dahi Handi organised by MLA Mohan Mate at Chhota Tajbagh, where the handi was initially set at over 50 feet. Three Mumbai Govinda pathaks — two women’s and one men’s — were invited, besides around six teams from Nagpur and nearby areas.Unlike Dharampeth, DJ speakers remained part of Chhota Tajbagh event, with organisers maintaining prescribed decibel limits.
