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JANMASHTAMI!

The natkhat Bal Gopal, the flowing handis and actors sharing their birthdays with Lord Krishna… our TV industry is full of such incidents. GR8! spoke to few stars, most of whom are Gujaratis and recounts the way they celebrate it. Janmashtami is here… Aala Re Aala!

Dilip Joshi:
“I fast on Janmashtami. We go to a temple and as we fast on that day, no kind of delicacy is prepared as we only have fruits and salad the entire day. I was born and brought up in Bhuleshwar and as a kid we would play dahi handi over there. Hamaare gali mein poori toli hoti thi and my elder brother used to be on the top and break the handi. Toh jab bhi handi tootti thi, we would collect all the chillars and eat the fruits that it had. Once my brother hung up on the rope and the entire pyramid, which was two floors high, fell. Then some people made a jaali with their hands and that is when he got down. It’s a very scary and vivid memory.” 

Sarita Joshi:
“I don’t really celebrate Janmashtami as such. Jab mood karta hai tab darshan kar lete hain and we sing bhajans on that day. We make sure that we don’t eat non - veg. Woh handi phootti hai, bass wohi dekhte the.”

Barun Sobti:
“My mom is really fond of Lord Krishna and incidentally, I was born on the Janmashtami Day itself (21st August, 1984). Though I am as naughty as him but I am not typically the Ladies Man! As kids we would celebrate dahi handi and my parents would read scriptures and do pooja. So yes, this festival becomes special for me because of my birthday.”

Suhasi Goradia:
“I go to my nani’s place to celebrate Janmashtami as she is completely believes in Lord Krishna. Woh bahut saare pakwaan banaati hain and we sing bhajans, help her out in the celebrations, decorate the temple, fast and completely enjoy the day. Even on the dahi handi day, we have a get together along with my friends and we enjoy watching the whole thing while it rains.”

Apara Mehta:
“With my kind of work, it becomes difficult to observe fast and follow all the rituals. But my mom still fasts and prepares sweets at home. But we do celebrate it on the sets of whichever show I am doing. Also, according to the Hindu calendar, my birthday falls a day before Janmashtami on Shitala Satam, that’s why I always say that I am a day elder to Lord Krishna. On the Shitala Satam day we can’t put on the burner and can’t make anything fresh to eat, thus we have to cook a day before that. Even in Gujaratis there are subdivisions in caste and I being a Brahmin, we worship Lord Shiva a lot. My husband is a Vaishnav and they worship Lord Krishna.”

Rucha Gujrathi:
“The day being Lord Krishna’s birthday we decorate temples with lots of flowers and lights, follow the rituals, prepare sweets and bathe Bal Gopal. Since he also loved milk and milk products a lot, we make sure that we prepare one item made up of milk like kheer. Since it’s typically a Gujarati festival, we celebrate it in a grand manner by meeting our relatives. I am also fond of watching dahi handi and since Lord Krishna was fond of milk products the essence of dahi handi is enhanced all the more!”

Daljeet Kaur:
“Shaleen and I visit the Hare Rama Hare Krishna temple every year on Janmashtami. We do fast on the day but we are unable to celebrate it in a grand manner as our parents don’t stay with us and if they are with us, it becomes convenient for us to follow all those rituals. Last year, Shaleen’s dad was in town and we went to the temple and got royally wet on the day since it was raining pretty heavily. That is one of the best memories that I have of the day. The Dahi handi is just another add on to the joyous celebrations.”

Deven Bhojani:
“We Gujaratis play cards on nights of Saptami and Ashtami during Janmashtami. I love playing cards on these days with my friends. We have a small marble temple in our house, which has a special corner for little Kanhaiya; a small cute statue of Bal Gopal swings on the small jhula. My mom bathes the statue with milk and water. During Janmashtami, that small corner is well decorated with flowers and tulsi (basil) leaves. The statue of Bal Gopal is made to wear cute, heavy clothes and jewellery. All of us in the family do a small aarti and pooja of Shri Krishna. As all of us fast, we only have fruits on that day. Since I am the only son to my parents, my mother at times calls me Kanhaiya. She also makes my favourite dish on the next day of Janmashtami. In childhood, I used to go out with my friends to participate in dahi handi to break the matki. I remember fracturing my hand when I was in the 9th standard during dahi handi.” 

- Garvita Sharma