Raksha bandhan !

Today is Raksha Bandhan, the best day of the year for brothers and sisters to express their love and affection for each other. Getting a colorful rakhi from younger or elder sister makes one feel the warmth of the relation that he shares with her. It is a day that all brother wait for throughout the year. It’s a small moment but brings huge happiness for them. In return they present gifts to their sisters.

In India, rakhi or raksha bandhan has always been a great event. Though the excitement of tying rakhi is felt best by the kids, in India, women irrespective of their ages tie rakhi on hands of their elder and younger brothers to express their affection. However, apart from a symbol of brotherhood, rakhi is often used as a friendship band too. In coeducational schools, the day of rakhi brings lot of fun for the young students. Tying of rakhi here not only symbolizes brotherhood but also as an acceptance of friendship. In fact the day of rakhi gives birth to new relations between young hearts.

I still remember the raksha bandhan days of my school life. Boys used to have a strange competition among themselves. Those having more rachis tied on their arms used to take credit of having more ‘girl friends’. For the girls too, the day used to be great as they were flooded with return gifts from their ‘boy friends’ or new ‘brothers’.

The popularity of raksha bandhan has increased significantly over the years and now it is like a national event. Nowadays, stalls and shops get decorated with endless varieties of rakhi long before the Raksha Bandhan day, and are sold in large numbers. Today Raksha Bandhan, apart from an event is an opportunity to earn some money for the artists, who manufactur and decorate rachis. With the change in timer, people fascination for rakhis is changing continuously along with the rise in demand. In the past, designs of rakhis used to very simple but nowadays a wide variety of rakhis are seen in the market. The craze for rakhi is so high here, that some jewelers are even designing gold and silver rakhis these days. And what can be better than gold when one wants to express love and affection top other?

I miss the days of raksha bandhan very much these days. Though my elder sister tie rakhi on my hand on every Raksha Bandhan, to me the Raksha bandhan days of my school life were the best.