The festival also presents opportunity for various sideshows, cultural events, and even fashion parades and talent contests, all attracting huge sponsorships.

A similar decision to knock off 'dahi-handi' from the celebrations has been taken by the top Janmashtami organisers of Pune like Akhil Mandai Mandal and Dagdhu Sheth's Janmashtami Mandal.

Other smaller organiser groups are expected to follow suit in the city and surrounding areas, especially since Pune has become the epicentre of the swine flu epidemic in the country.

In Thane and Navi Mumbai, several organisers have appealed to people not to turn up in large numbers at the Janmashtami celebrations and instead watch it live on cable television.

As a precautionary measure, the organisers have also decided to keep volunteers at the entrance of the celebration venues to keep out people suffering from flu-related symptoms. Anyone found coughing would not be allowed in or asked to leave the venue.

The mandals have appealed to people not to bring children to the venues, while they have also decided to keep medical teams and ambulances at all venues.

So far, swine flu has claimed 11 lives in Maharashtra. The nationwide toll was 15 Wednesday morning.