Mumbai, 16 August

A 32-year-old 'Govinda' fell to his death while tying 'Dahi Handi' in Mankhurd on Saturday afternoon, while 30 others taking part in the formation of human pyramids synonymous with the celebrations were injured across the metropolis, officials said.

Jagmohan Shivkiran Chaudhari was tying the 'Dahi Handi' -- earthen pot filled with curd which groups of `Govindas' try to reach and break by forming a human pyramid -- to a rope from the first-floor window grille of his house in Maharashtra Nagar when he fell, said a civic official.

Chaudhari was taken to the civic-run Shatabdi Govandi Hospital where he was declared brought dead, the official added.

At least 30 'Govindas' have sustained injuries during the celebrations, which have been held this year amid heavy rains in Mumbai, Thane and other parts of the metropolitan region, officials said.

Fifteen of them have been hospitalised, while the remaining were discharged after treatment, they added.

The thirty injured persons comprise 18 from the island city, and six each from the eastern and western parts of the metropolis, the officials said.

The Dahi Handi festival is celebrated across Maharashtra to mark the birthday of Lord Krishna. The day is marked by troupes of young men and women scrambling to form human pyramids to break dahi handis (pots of curd) suspended in the air with ropes.