A reveller at a Dandiya event in the city

The Salt Lake stadium will not rock to the beats of Dandiya sticks and ghungroos through the Puja nights. Nor will Nalban.

The Dandiya craze in the city is on the ebb. And how. From over 12-15 big and small Dandiyas in the city seven-eight years back (some small ones used to be one-night programmes) to five big Dandiyas last autumn, the number has dropped to three this downturn-hit year.

“You have to be very good to survive. You need a good team, the right DJ and a proper venue. You have to understand the audience. Getting a licence is also difficult now. So there are fewer Dandiyas this year,” said DJ Harish, who plays at the Swabhumi Dandiya organised by Mayank Joshi, whose core businesses are real estate and export-import.

Agreed Vijay Bokadia of Moksh Events, who has been organising Dandiyas since 2001. “The cost of organising a good Dandiya has shot up. So there is more risk. Only the really big ones have survived.”

This year, there’s more than competition to cope with. “The downturn has had an impact. It is very difficult find sponsors,” said Joshi, who has been organising the Swabhumi Dandiya for the past two years.

His budget this time is “15-20 per cent less” than the Rs 45-50 lakh mark set last year. “Last year, we brought Bollywood actress Minissha Lamba, but this time we will have to settle for small-screen celebs.” To push up footfalls, entry rates have been slashed by Rs 50 from last year’s Rs 300.

“There is certainly less money coming into Dandiya this year. One of the reasons is the downturn, the other is early Puja. Companies are working on a shoestring budget,” said Bokadia, who has been organising Dandiyas at Netaji Indoor Stadium for the past three years.

Some expenses remain constant. Like that of the venue. “It’s not possible to cut costs beyond a point. What happens is that the risk for the organiser goes up,” added Bokadia.

At the best of times, Dandiyas do not yield high returns, claimed organisers. “We look at a maximum of 10-15 per cent profits. It’s more of a passion,” said Joshi. For Bokadia, it’s a question of visibility.

Deepak Sharma, who organised a Dandiya for the first time last year, said: “I had invested Rs 1 crore and put up 30 LCD screens across Nalban. There was a crowd, but I had also given away many free tickets. In Calcutta, people want everything free. I suffered a loss.”

The Dandiya at Nalban is a non-starter this year. Though Sharma cites personal reasons and a busy schedule, he adds that it’s very difficult to get a sponsor this year.

Amit Burnwal also does not go into the details of why he is not organising his Salt Lake stadium Dandiya this year. “Recession is not a big factor. There were four big Dandiyas happening in and around Salt Lake last year. The crowd gets divided,” he said.

Sudhir Satnaliwala, who has been organising Dandiyas at Nicco Park for the past three years, is the only one bucking the trend. “My sponsors have a long relationship with me. I introduced disco-dandiya in the city. Now everyone is doing it,” he claims.

This time, though, very few are doing it.