No Janmashtami festivities in Maha say all parties

MUMBAI: With Maharashtra accounting for bulk of swine flu deaths and infections, all major political parties in the state have unanimously decided to tone down the festivities and do away with popular dahihandi during Janmashtami on Friday.

Leaders belonging to the Shiv Sena, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party, who sponsor most Govinda celebrations, took the decision on Wednesday.

Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray took the initiative and appealed to people to give the usual ritual a miss this year and only have a simple ���puja���. Raj Thackeray too asked his followers not to celebrate Janmashtami the way it is celebrated in normal times. All MNS-sponsored ���handis��� have been cancelled, he announced.

Mumbai mayor, too convened an all-party meeting to evolve a consensus about the major festivals ahead. The meeting also discussed ways to check milling crowds during the festival to control the spread of swine flu, which has claimed 17 lives in the state so far.

Mumbai���s dahihandi celebrations usually draw large number of people, that involves pots of money and glamour. The festival also presents opportunity for various slideshows, cultural events, and even fashion parades and talent contests, all attracting big sponsorships.

A similar decision to scrap dahihandi has been taken by the top Janmashtami organisers of Pune like Akhil Mandai Mandal and Dagdhu Sheth���s Janmashtami Mandal. Other smaller organiser groups are expected to follow suit in the city and surrounding areas. In Thane and Navi Mumbai, several organisers have appealed to people not to turn up in large numbers at the Janmashtami celebrations and instead watch it live on cable television. The mandals have appealed to people not to bring children to the venues. They have also decided to keep medical teams and ambulances at all venues.

Last weekend, chief minister Ashok Chavan had also appealed to all Janmashtami festival organisers to refrain from crowded celebrations to restrict the spread of H1N1 virus. He had also appealed to celebrities, especially television and film stars, not to attend dahi-handi celebrations, as their presence could make it major crowd events.