By IANS
New Delhi : Colourful threads adorned the wrists of brothers Tuesday and most households were stocked with delectable sweets as India celebrated the festival of Raksha Bandhan, the bond of love between brothers and sisters.
Celebrated on the full moon of the Hindu month of Shravana, Raksha Bandhan or Rakhi was observed with much gaiety across the country.
On Rakhi, sisters tie decorative threads on their brother’s wrist, symbolic of their love, and the brothers in return give them gifts and vow to protect them throughout their lives.
Markets have been flooded with the choicest of rakhis over the past week – from simple threads to glittery ones and from the ornate bejewelled variety to those with cartoon characters. So sisters had quite a time making their choices.
“I tied a Pokemon rakhi to my brother. He loves that cartoon character and when he saw it he was thrilled to the core!” said 10-year-old Akanksha about her kid brother Rakshit.
This is one occasion when men also pamper their sisters by showering them with gifts. But women have now become more demanding too.
Sharmishtha Sharma, an executive in an advertising agency, had already decided what she wanted from her brother days before Rakhi.
“I wanted a phone, preferably the latest Nokia N-series model. I knew that was going to be heavy on his wallet but so what? He can afford to pamper his only sister once a year!” she laughed.
And her brother Manish, who works in a BPO, had to oblige. “I had to borrow some money from my dad but that’s alright. It feels good that your sister demands something from you…it makes you feel grown up!” he said.
But for Richa Misra, a PhD scholar, gifts are a big no-no. She would rather settle for some hard cash instead!
“I told my brother not to gift me anything. Instead I asked him to give me cash. This makes things easy for both of us. He doesn’t have to break his head thinking of an appropriate gift and I can buy whatever I want,” she said.
As a part of the ritual, sisters fast in the morning, until they tie the Rakhi on their brother’s wrists and put a tika on the brother’s forehead. If the sister is younger, she touches his feet and seeks blessings. And then the sweets are brought on.
“Traditionally, we feast on Indian sweets like besan laddoos, burfi, chum-chum and Kala Jamum on Rakhi. We make some sweets at home and buy some more from the market,” said Aparna, a schoolteacher.
“My brother loves kaju ki burfi, which is made from cashew nuts,” she added.
These days, however, people have started buying cakes and pastries as well on the festive day, apart from Indian sweets.
This year, the postal department came up with an innovative idea for the festival. It launched a set of Rakhi envelopes that come in four designs. Priced at Rs.5, they are tear and water-resistant – ideal for sending rakhis to brothers living far away.
Online virtual Rakhis are also a big rage these days by which sisters can send greetings and a Rakhi of their choice to their brothers via the Internet.