Relationships are the soul of celebrations and it holds true for any Indian festival.
Raksha Bandhan is a celebration of one such relation — the relationship between brothers and sisters. This day is celebrated in no other part of the world as it is here in India.
On this day, siblings pray for each others’ well-being, happiness and goodwill.
It is marked by the tying of a rakhi
on the brother’s wrist by the sister and the brother in return offers a gift to his sister.
The name ‘Raksha Bandhan’ suggests ‘a bond of protection’. On this auspicious day, brothers make a promise to their sisters to protect them from all harm and trouble and the sisters, in turn, pray that their brothers are protected from all evil. It is not necessary that the rakhi be given only to a brother by birth; any male can be “adopted” as a brother by tying a rakhi on the person.
DNA is out to find whether the essence of the festival still remains in its true sense among the youngsters, even today.
Shravan Nayar, a degree student who has a younger sister and seven cousin sisters says, “I think the essence and meaning of it has been lost with the times. Today it is just a thread around the brother’s wrist for the sake of a gift or some money in return.”
“I think in older times this bond between a brother and sister was more respected and feared than it is now.” While Shravan thinks the true meaning is lost in today’s world, Priyanka R, a second year media student begs to differ.
“This definitely is an important festival for me as I have only one older brother. I don’t tie the rakhi just because I want a gift but rather for that real bond I share with my brother,” she says.
The brothers gift their sisters after the rakhi is tied. This part is as important as tying the rakhi itself. The most common gift is money. “Since I have seven cousin sisters and one sister of my own, I usually give them Rs101 so they can buy what they like,” says Shravan.
When asked whether it would bother him if a girl whom he liked tied a rakhi on his hand, Siddharth Ram says, “The idea of being looked at as a brother by the girl you like would hurt. But nowadays, it wouldn’t really matter as much as before and I could still have a shot with the girl even after being called
bhaiya.”
Priyanka, however, is horrified at the suggestion: “I would never tie a rakhi for a guy friend because in case we like each other later, it would be embarrassing to know that I once did think of him as a brother.”
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