Surat: Preparations for Janmashtami have gathered pace across the city. Temples will hold prayers and celebrations till late Friday night, with thousands expected to visit to swing the idol of infant Krishna.Alongside, preparations are underway for grand Dahi Handi events to be held across the city on Saturday.Around 35,000 youths are expected to participate in the celebrations and attempt to break nearly 8,000 matkis at different locations. The main Matki Phod event will be held at Bhagal Char Rasta.This year, the authorities have granted permission to 145 Govinda mandals. The Surat Shaher Govinda Utsav Samiti (SSGUS) will coordinate the citywide Dahi Handi celebrations for the 29th consecutive year. Surat’s main matki will be broken by Ganesh Group of Gopipura, with Krishna Group of Adajan as its associate.“We have been practising with a team of around 500 members to form an 8-layer pyramid. Considering the risks involved, we keep additional members on the ground around the pyramid to ensure the safe landing of those in the formation,” said Mayur Prajapati of Shree Sukhanand Vyayam Shala, Vadi Faliya.A special matki will also be arranged for Govinda mandals that have completed 50 years. The commemorative matki will be tied and broken by Dharti Mata Sports Club of Ved Road. All participating Govinda mandals will receive a cash prize of Rs 11,000 and a trophy.An award of Rs 61,000 has been announced for the prize matki requiring the tallest human pyramid. “SSGUS was founded in 1997 at the office of CR Paatil, when only 17 mandals participated. The number has now risen to 145,” said Ganesh Savant, president of SSGUS.Five matkis will be tied at Bhagal Char Rasta. Other high-prize events will be held at Dindoli Navagam (Rs 1.51 lakh), Morabhagal (Rs 1.25 lakh) and Galaxy Circle, Pal (Rs 51,000). Separate prizes of Rs 25,000 have been announced for women’s mandals and Rs 11,000 for a special under-15 category.Women Govinda groups increase to sixThe number of women Govinda groups has increased to six this year. Of the 145 mandals that have received permission, six are women’s groups. In the past, four women’s mandals participated in the celebrations — Jay Bhavani Mahila Mandal (Hawadiya Chakla), R K Sports Club Mahila Mandal (Rudarpura), Keljai Mata Mahila Mandal and Kamalaba Garden Mahila Mandal. This year, Sainath Sports Club Mahila Mandal (Adajan) and Amar Jwala Mahila Mandal (Ved Road) have been added, taking the total to six. Jay Bhavani Sports Club Mahila Mandal will be the first to perform, followed by R K Sports Club Mahila Mandal later in the evening.Govinda group to participate in Rajkot, Navsari celebrationsSurat’s Krushna Leela Sport Club from Adajan will participate in the Dahi Handi celebrations in Rajkot organised by the Rajkot Municipal Corporation. SSGUS selects one Surat team each year to participate in the Rajkot event. This year, around 150 club members will form the squad travelling to Rajkot for the Matki Phod competition scheduled on Janmashtami. The organisers have announced a cash prize of Rs 1.51 lakh. The Surat group will also participate in celebrations at Vijalpore in Navsari, where a local mandal has been allotted the programme.
