Ensuring your Child’s Safety In Dahi Handi Festival

By Mahak Arora - Updated: August 22, 2022

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4 Safety Tips for Kids in Dahi Handi

Janmashtami, or Lord Krishna’s birthday, will soon be here on September 5. In many parts of India, the most anticipated event of the celebration is Dahi Handi. Young boys make a human pyramid to break an earthen pot of curd. The catch? The pot is placed at a huge height, often a few floors high! So, how can you keep your teens safe in Janmashtami Dahi Handi?

Dahi Handi is inspired from how Krishna would steal butter from his mother Yashoda’s kitchen. The naughty Baal Gopal was popular all over Gokul, the village he grew up in, for stealing butter no matter how well protected! The human pyramids made for dahi handi celebrations are spectacular to behold, complete with foot-tapping music and lots of colours. But they have also been notorious for injuries. This has since led the Supreme Court to ban under-12 kids from participating. If you’re mom to a teen who’s gearing up to smash that pot of curd, there are some precautions you must heed.

4 Safety Tips for Kids in Dahi Handi

1. Make Sure They Get Sufficient Practice

Making a human pyramid requires immense coordination, patience and agility. If your teen is keen on taking part in a Janmashtami contest, tell him he must get sufficient practice. Enroll him only in an authorised group that has experienced teachers and adequate medical amenities, apart from getting good practice before the big day.

2. Keep Safety Equipment Handy

On the day of Dahi Handi, as also on all practice days, make sure there is a first-aid box on site. There should also be a vehicle on standby to take any casualties to the nearest medical facility. Kids should be equipped with helmets and harnesses. Injuries can be very common, thus making this one of the most important safety precautions for teens participating in dahi handi festival.

3. Check for Physical Fitness

Not all kids may be fit enough to be part of a human pyramid. It requires flexible limbs, good stamina, decent eyesight and a light-weight physique. Discuss this with your kids if you are worried they are not fit enough for the event. They can always practise warm up exercises and be on their way to wellness!

4. Tell Them It’s The Spirit, Not The Money

Dahi Handis often keep high prize amounts for the winning team. Often, this dilutes the spirit of participation. Teens can become reckless and go to any extent to win – something that’s very dangerous! Discuss this with your kids and teach them that safety and sporting spirit supersede everything else.

If your son is gearing up to be Dahi Handi govinda, join him in the festivity by all means. It’s not even restricted to boys anymore; all-girl pyramids are becoming popular too. Just ensure that they keep safety precautions in mind so that Janmashtami celebrations can be enjoyable and peaceful at the same time.

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