The Dharmasala police organised a two-day Holi festival which is popularly known as Munsi Melan.
“Since 1877, the police have been organising the festival of colour with much merriment in Dharmasala. Gopinath Parija, a police officer of the area, popularly known as Daroga Munshi, had started the festival 136 years back. Since then, the festival is being organised every year by a managing committee headed by the OIC of the Dharmasala police station. We play an important role with full support of the locals to organise it. All the police men and women never touch any non-vegetarian food for two days during the festival,” said OIC Sudarsan Dash of Dharmasala.
The main aim of the festival is to improve the relationship among the police and public. The Dharmasala police station was established in 1874 after more than a decade of the end of the Sepoy mutiny in 1857.Many locals had started revolting against the British rule at that time for which the police had started Munshi Melan to win over the locals towards the British rule, said Dharmasala block vice chairman Jaladhar Mohanty.
Despite a huge gathering of people from the district and outside, Munshi Melan passes off peacefully each year. The police deployment is only symbolic to maintain law and order, said OIC Dash.Over 40 Radha and Krishna idols are brought from nearby areas as part of the celebrations. The deities are invited as guests. Deities come in their palanquins. The procession is led by village drummers, pipers and the policemen. The procession halts in front of each household and the deities are offered ‘Bhog’. On the second day, the celebration culminates in a festival for the deities at the ground near the police station. The idols carried in palanquins from a number of villages assemble at a ground near the police station for the Melana (gathering of deities). The palanquins of the deities are placed in a row for public view. Keen competition is observed in the decoration of the palanquins when all the expected palanquins reach the place. Display of fireworks takes place and this is watched by thousands o enthusiastic crowd.