Six biggest dahi-handi shows Govinda aala re aala!

Govinda aala re aala!

A guided tour of the six biggest dahi-handi shows and lets you in on all the action lined up today

It's the first of the big people's festival ahead of the upcoming civic elections and the organisers of big league dahi handis — who happen to be politicians — are sparing no effort make a mark with the masses. With crores of rupees on offer as prizes, the stakes are high, for the organisers as well as the govindas, and one thing is for sure, you are assured of a fantastic display. Panchpakhadi, Thane A 200-strong group of Spanish castellers will be the star attraction at NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad's dahi handi festivities at Panchpakhadi in Thane. Teams from Castellers de Villafranca will vie with each other — and the best govindas from Mumbai — to go for a hereto unseen 10-tier human pyramid, for the handi with a price tag of Rs50 lakh. Tembhi Naka, Thane Not to be outdone, local Sena MLA Eknath Shinde is offering the pot of gold, literally, this year. Thane's oldest dahi handi, started by the late Anand Dighe, will be made of pure gold. And to keep the local teams motivated, there's a smaller handi of gold for them. The mandal breaking the handi will be given cash prize of Rs1.51 lakh. And to keep the women folk pleased, every all-women human pyramid will be rewarded with 10 gm gold coins. Vartak Nagar, Thane Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik is all set to steal the show. From roping in Bollywood art director Nitin Desai to design the stage for his Sanskruti Yuva Pratishthan's dahi kala fest, to shooting the evening's proceedings in 3D technology for live-streaming, Sarnaik's dahi handi promises the biggest bang for the buck. The prize purse runs into crores, with even women squads just making a seven-tier pyramid tipped to walk away with Rs5 lakh. Jambholi Maidan, Worli This year round, NCP minister Sachin Ahir is all set to turn his annual extravaganza into a show of strength ahead of the civic polls. Expect plenty of actors and models for the grand show, where the venue will be transformed into a stadium. Ghatkopar Going by the sheer size of the winners' purse, MNS MLA Ram Kadam's dahi handi at Ghatkopar is the biggest — with a prize of Rs 1 crore, if the winning govinda troup manages to scale the 125-feet high handi. Kadam - and his party - have a point to prove, and what better way to show, than by stealing the show from rivals. Sector 17, Vashi Thane BJP chief and local developer Suresh Haware's dahi handi in sector-17, Vashi, is their big ticket event. Haware does a good job of weaving in social causes and entertainment. Even if no election, a good show is always a good brand building exercise for business.