Mumbai: Gangaur puja and geet in Bikaneri style will mark the end of Holi festivities today (March 24). The celebrations started around Shivratri under the aegis of Maheshwari Pragati Mandal. To keep the Rajasthani culture and tradition alive, the mandal was started in 1958 with a few veteran Maheshwari Samaj Bandhus promoting Bikaneri Dandiya Khel in Mumbai, their ‘karma bhumi’.
Over the years, for reasons of easy administration, a separate organisation was formed to facilitate the traditional khel during Holi – Manmohan Raas Mandal. A few years later, the Bikaneri Seva Sangh was also formed.
Children from Mumbai are trained in traditional Bikaneri dandiya that is played for nearly two weeks, beginning Shivratri. Traditional Mataji song is also sung by the samaj bandhus. This year, the theme of festivities was Sanatana Dharma. Shri Jai Kumar Karnani, the chairman of the Free Press Journal group, and Sumanji Kothari were felicitated by the community.
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