The Festival to Love and Care..

'Raksha-bandhan' is a very celebrated occasion of our country. It signifies love and the pledge to protect your near and dear ones. Generally 'Rakhi' is stringed by the sisters on their brother's hand as mark of love and respect and the brother makes a promise to protect her from all odds, come what may... Such a wonderful expression....!!! 


Since childhood, my sister and I celebrated Raksha-Bandhan in our own way. We used to make or buy rakhis for each other and celebrate the day. We felt that if it means love, respect and to stand by each other at all times, then it should not be confined to only brothers and sisters....it can well be between two sisters and two brothers as well...or between friends for that matter. Both of us were, and still are, partners of our good and bad times...that's why this particular expression is important to us, and will remain so forever. Perhaps, that's why Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore initiated Raksha-Bandhan during Swadesi movement and christened it as 'Maitri-Bandhan', emphasising on the affection, oneness and regard one should have for everybody and thus took it beyond the boundaries of any particular relation.


On this auspicious day, today, I observed another wonderful thing. My sis-in-law, yesterday was wondering over phone about not being able to tie rakhi in her brother's hand, because of the very common fact we experience in our lives at present, the physical distance!!!....and upon me came the responsibility of  tying rakhi to her brother (my husband)...:) I initially felt awkward thinking about it as my mind was shrouded with 'filmy' ideas that tying Rakhi is a symbolic way of 'making' brother or attaining a sibling feeling towards that person...:) !!!! Bollywood does have an impact..."Maano ya na maano". But eventually I did tie rakhi on his wrist and felt that if its 'Raksha Bandhan', then it is quite appropriate this way too....as husbands do pledge to protect their wives from all adversities in the best possible way, don't they?......so what's wrong with it? So I acted on behalf of my sis-in-law, true, but the ritual also became my way of giving and getting a promise to stay together through thick and thins......

Mankind is blessed with the idea of fellow feelings.....the respect, love, affection or liking we feel for our parents, siblings, husbands/wives, friends and even for all fellow human beings is the greatest gift we have been bestowed with by nature....and we should, at all cost, try to protect this goodness in us.




Image courtesy : http://www.deepwarriors.com