BJP leader Ram Kadam, who is known for holding grand Dahi handi events, has decided to cancel this year's Dahi Handi celebrations due to coronavirus outbreak.
Taking to Twitter, Ram Kadam wrote: "Taking into account the COVID-19 situation and the crowd that gathers, we have decided to cancel the Dahi Handi festival. However, we will celebrate Krishna Janmashtami in a simple way."
Kadam's dahi handi celebrations in Ghatkopar is one of the biggest in the city. Many celebrities from Bollywood and Marathi film industry attend Kadam's dahi handi event.
The BJP leader had last year also cancelled the dahi handi celebrations due to Sangli floods. "We will celebrate this festival as part of our culture, but it will be done in a simple manner. There is no need to splurge money and the saved money will be sent to help the flood-hit brothers and sisters of the state," he had said.
The Dahi handi ritual is part of the Janmashtami festival in Maharashtra, where youngsters (called Govindas), dressed in colourful attire, make human pyramid to reach an earthen pot containing buttermilk and suspended in mid-air, and break it.
