Reaching for the sky

Chetna Yerunkar gets a first-hand look at the work involved in creating a human pyramid for Gokulashtami

As the festival of Gokulashtami approaches, I have been given the rather rare opportunity of being part of a human pyramid - by an all-female Dahi Handi Mandal - that will, on August 22, break an earthen pot (handi) on the busy streets of Mumbai.

The Mandal at JJ Hospital is coached by Raja Shivtarkar, who has played this role for 15 years and travels across the city with his team on the day of the festival. There are around 30 girls in the mandal, all from different age groups, who practice for more than a month before the festival. As professional Kabaddi players too, a month is usually sufficient for them.

This video blog tracks my experience with the Mandal.

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Day 1
Practice begins at 7.30 pm and ends at 9.30 pm. Much of the exercises I have been asked to do involve strengthening my muscles enough to bear the weight of another girl on my shoulder. The trainer made me run for a half hour and as I hadn't run for a long time, walking home after the session was hard. It's a hectic session, but a lot of fun. I look forward to doing it every evening.

Day 5

Practice from 7.30 to 9.30, beginning with a normal warm up and stretching exercises. Today, I carried a girl on my shoulder while taking my rounds so I could work on balance.
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Day 9

Stretching and running exercises, before balancing the girls on each other. After every three days, the number of girls increases. We learn to balance a higher number.
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Day 11

I finally managed to balance two girls on my shoulder. I was then carried on another girl's shoulders a frightening experience, as I was scared of falling down. I remember being carried on my dad's shoulder, so being on the shoulders of a girl who is younger than I am was strange. The day passed smoothly though.
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Day 13

After 13 days of practicing, our hard work was tested with a pyramid formation. Five layers were planned four girls on the ground floor, three on the first, two girls above them, then one, with a small girl who would break the handi eventually. I was on the first layer as the trainer said I was healthy and could sustain the weight of other girls. I fell from the first layer and twisted my leg though, as the girl above me lost her balance. The fall was so sudden that I didn't realize how brutal it was. I was forced to miss practice and work for two days. Luckily, there were no major injuries. I won't forget the pain in a hurry though.