By IANS
New Delhi : President Pratibha Patil celebrated Raksha Bandhan in a unique way Tuesday by inviting children from different parts of the country to Rashtrapati Bhavan. It was the first time that kids tied rakhis on a woman president on the festival that symbolises the love between brothers and sisters.
As many as 95 children, including some special kids, enjoyed the hospitality of the president. They had a grand breakfast, which included south Indian preparations like idli, dosa, vada and Maharashtrian Poha. They interacted with Patil and were given an elaborate tour through the 345-room presidential palace.
“There were children who were the victims of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir and riot victims of Gujarat, AIDS affected children from Assam and those who were affected by the tsunami in 2004 in Tamil Nadu,” a Rashtrapati Bhavan official told IANS.
He noted that it was the first time that children from different parts of India were invited to Rashtrapati Bhavan on rakhi – a day usually children from the capital city and surrounding areas used to come and tie rakhis on the wrists of male presidents till now.
“The idea was a symbolic cultural integration. Many of the children who came here today were travelling outside their locality for the first time,” the official said.
One child from each of the organisations tied rakhi to Patil as “it was a symbolic ceremony”, he said, adding that “the president gifted them a token amount in return”.
Addressing the children later, Patil emphasised on the need to strengthen the girl child.