A day of celebration and excitement — a day that everyone had prepared for. Parents crowded near the fence of the school ground with children taking centre stage and performing a beautifully choreographed dance. Then they built their pyramids, small but strong. It was a display of unity and togetherness on a day of nationwide festivity.
Just like everywhere else in the country, Dahi Handi is one of the most anticipated events in DLRC. Each grade’s team was busy preparing days and even weeks before August 27th, the day of the event.
We remember our class, G11, scrambling to find any time we could get to practise our pyramid. We attempted different formations and gave different roles to people, trying to figure out what worked the best and would be the fastest to assemble. Our practice sessions were full of messy tangles of arms, legs and shoulders, stumbling and falling on top of each other. But at the end of the day, these sessions were always a lot of chaotic fun and exemplary instances of the class coming together.
When asked how they go about preparing the students for the event, one of the school’s sports facilitators, Chetan Sir, explained, “We start the practice about a month before the day of Dahi Handi. Students need to stand on top of each other’s shoulders. So, they need to be warmed up and trained on their posture to make sure they do it safely. They’re also taught how to squat and stand with someone else on their shoulders. During the last week before the event, they have their final practice.” Breaking down the process further, he added, “They are given a target of forming a pyramid of either four or three layers. Whoever is at the top breaks the Handi and all the students who aren’t directly part of the pyramid act as support for the others.” *
He also remarked that this activity is very telling of the balance, coordination, team spirit and leadership among the students.
On the 27th of August, the students gathered around the small field and in the amphitheatre, getting ready for their grade’s turn. Many had marked their faces with paint to enhance the team spirit. The grades went in order, from the youngest to the oldest, each in their own race against time as they competed to build the pyramid and break the pot the fastest.
Students participating in the Dahi Handi celebration
Lastly, the teachers had a Dahi Handi of their own. Shubham Sir, another sports facilitator at the school, talked about the experience of practising the pyramid with the teachers: “Honestly, we practised only once and I was afraid that people might get hurt. But we had energy and enthusiasm which lifted our spirits high. From now on, we’ll be doing it comfortably every year.”
Once the teachers were done breaking their Dahi Handi, chaos ensued as everyone played in the mud under the rain — smearing each other, dragging everyone through the mud one by one, and running and sliding through it in rows. By the end, everyone was covered head to toe in brown.
The day ended with students taking pictures of their muddy selves, cleaning themselves with whatever water they could find, drying themselves off and changing into fresh clothes as everyone prepared to leave the campus.
Students after playing in the mud
Although Shubham Sir, in his interview, admitted that G4’s pyramid was his personal favourite, we were very proud of our Dahi Handi and couldn’t have asked for a more enjoyable time while we prepared for it. As new members of DLRC, this was one of the most exciting and memorable experiences for us yet!
*interview translated from Hindi to English
By Nandini Karandikar and Rangoli Garg (G11)
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