Dombivli cancels Rasrang Dandiya festival, MP Shrikant Shinde to aid farmers instead

Erratic rainfall in several parts of Maharashtra has caused heavy damage to crops, pushing farming families into serious distress. Watching a year's worth of labour go to waste, Kalyan Lok Sabha MP Dr Shrikant Shinde has decided to cancel Dombivli's grand annual Rasrang Dandiya festival this year and stand with affected farmer families instead. Shiv Sena MLA Rajesh More announced this at a press conference on Thursday.

The money usually spent on the festival will instead go towards helping farmer families in crisis. The Dandiya festival has been held every year on the D.N.C. School ground in Dombivli, organised by the Navdurga Mitra Mandal and the Dr Shrikant Shinde Foundation. Thousands of people from Dombivli, Kalyan-Dombivli, Thane, Ulhasnagar, Ambernath and nearby areas have attended it over the years, and it has long been the biggest draw of Dombivli's Navratri celebrations.

This year, however, Maharashtra's farmers are going through an especially difficult period. Erratic rain in several areas has caused major crop losses, leaving farmers facing financial distress. With a year's hard-earned harvest lost, many families have lost their main source of income, and the impact extends beyond individual households to the wider rural economy.

Taking this situation seriously, MP Dr Shrikant Shinde decided against holding the grand Rasrang celebration this year, reasoning that a large festival would not be appropriate while farmers are in crisis. The funds that would have gone into the festival will now be used for distressed farmer families, with the aim of channelling that same spirit of celebration into helping them instead.

Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has repeatedly spoken of standing firmly with farmer families in distress. He recently met farmers in areas such as Akola and Buldhana to hear about their difficulties, and said that support for affected families should also extend to their children's education, weddings and other family responsibilities. In line with this, the Shiv Sena has been working to extend all possible help to farmer families.

It is under this sense of social responsibility that MP Dr Shrikant Shinde has taken this decision on the Rasrang festival. The funds normally spent on organising the festival will be redirected to help distressed farmers, and the Navdurga Mitra Mandal and the Dr Shrikant Shinde Foundation will also provide substantial funds for the purpose. Work is currently under way to plan which areas' farmers need help and how it can be delivered most effectively. A survey of the affected areas will be carried out so that aid reaches needy farmer families directly, and the full details of this assistance will be announced soon, MLA Rajesh More said at the press conference.

While the grand Rasrang celebration will not take place this year, the Navratri tradition will still be observed, with a simple Ghatasthapana and worship of the goddess. Festivals can be celebrated every year, but Dr Shinde said that when there is an opportunity to stand with farmers in a time of crisis, that must take priority, and that this year the festival will be set aside to try to bring some relief to farmer families instead. Maharashtra's farmers are not just providers of food but a key pillar of the state's rural economy, and standing with them in times of crisis is a collective responsibility of society. It is with this sense of responsibility that MP Dr Shrikant Shinde has decided to cancel this year's Rasrang Dandiya festival and help farmers instead.