A group of teachers from Mumbai today put up a black 'gudhi' outside the house of Maharashtra education minister Vinod Tawde as a mark of protest against the alleged delay in payment of their salaries.
The protest came on the day of 'Gudhi Padwa', when the Maharashtrians celebrate the commencement of the Hindu New Year by putting up colourful gudhis at their houses.
A gudhi is made of a silver, copper or bronze urn covered in auspicious red, yellow or saffron cloth and hoisted upside down at the entrance of the house. It is a sign of prosperity and good things to come.
As a mark of protest against the alleged delay in disbursement of salaries of teachers, Anil Bornare, the head of the Mumbai unit of Maharashtra Rajya Shikshak Parishad, and some other teachers reached outside Tawde's bungalow in the Vile Parle area here today and put up the black gudhi there.
"There are around 27,000 teachers in Mumbai, whose salaries got delayed due to the flawed policies of the state government," Bornare alleged.
"The black gudhi is a form of protest to draw the minister's attention towards the issue," he added.