Knot of protection

Raksha Bandhan or simply termed as ‘Rakhi’ is one of those rituals, full of myths and beliefs and is celebrated all over India with great zeal and fervour. It is the highlight of eternal love.

On the full moon of Sravana (June – July) the festival marks the bright light of togetherness between brothers and sisters. There are lots of mythological and historical events related to this special day.

The epic Mahabharata conveys the oldest examples of Raksha Bandhan.

If taken verbally, the word Raksha means to protect and Bandhan means a thread; together it means ‘a knot of protection’.

As the myth goes, when Krishna cut his finger once and Draupadi tied a knot to cease the blood, Krishna promised to protect her. Kunti, the grandmother of Abhimanyu tied a thread on his hand before Kurukshetra War commenced so that no evil could touch him.

History, as it recounts, Guru Nanak also took rakhi from his sister, Bebe Nanaka. When Alexander the great invaded India, his wife Roxana tied a thread on Porus’ hand and he promised to protect Alexander and Roxana, so Porus, when he was at the zenith to kill Alexander, remembered his vow and spared him.

Rabindranath Tagore, during the Bengal Partition movement, invoked Raksha Bandhan as a concept to inspire love, respect and to strengthen the bond and togetherness between Hindus and Muslims to urge them for protesting against the British Empire. Raksha Bandhan has become a ritual of endless joy amid family members and kin.

This day is not only about tying a thread but also the kinship that follows. The day is embellished with hugs, delicacies and mirth. In this world of technology, where people are endowed with machines, it reminds us of the days of yore.

When people are not getting enough time to spare with the near and dear ones, this day draws brothers and sisters close to memories and laughter; nostalgia with much enthusiasm.

This auspiciousness makes us feel the affectionate and protective shadow of our elder ones, as it should be. It creates the true bond of sincere love, irrespective of age, caste and creed.

(Manjush Halder, Coordinator, Class VIII, Bongaon High School)

Yearning for a sibling

Raksha Bandhan is an auspicious day in India celebrated to honour the bond between a brother and a sister. This day is observed with lot of rituals performed by the sisters for their brothers who, in return, promises to protect their sisters from evil and also take vow to stand by them.

Amongst all these happiness and bonding, those who are the only child of their parents feel very lonely, disappointed and completely dejected of the fact that they have no one to celebrate this day with.

The bond of Raksha Bandhan is extremely special. It is indeed difficult for them whose siblings live abroad or for those who have lost their siblings due to tragedies are the ones who miss them the most on this day. These days people are so busy in their lives that even those, who don’t have siblings, often try to contact their cousins on this day but unfortunately, despite having cousins, they spend the day all alone.

And those who have often complain about the tantrums thrown by their siblings, their fights, making fun of each other. Tying a rakhi is so simple yet there is a very strong belief that it connects each other with a pure bond of trust, honour and affection.

There are people whom we refer to as our brothers, even if they are not related by blood, but eventually come in to our lives. So this Raksha Bandhan, lets make it our top priority that all the siblings and cousins must not feel alone. If down with work or other engagements, the brothers and sisters must find an alley to escape and be there for each other.

(Oindrila Gupta, Coordinator, Class XII, St Joseph and Mary's School)

An auspicious occasion

The staircase still echoes our stealthy footsteps; the courtyard still reverberates with our ecstatic laughter. The cool shade of the banyan tree still awaits us. The summer breeze, the spells of monsoon that we experienced together beckon us.

The hide and seek; the long strides of hopscotch’s have now become relics of our golden past. Having left those gleeful days behind as time has taken us to a completely different phase of life, those are the magical moments that can force a smile even when faced with life’s challenges.

As days have passed, we siblings have split into various directions in pursuit of higher education or career opportunities. In this tech-savvy 21st century, we hardly ever get time to talk to our siblings. It seems as though the hustle and bustle of our life has taken us to a completely different era where we can only dream of those carefree days of our childhood. The incessant chatter, those innocent pranks, those peevish murals that are etched on the dusty obscure walls of our home often makes us wish we haven’t grown up altogether.

We realise now that it was not the thread that we tied on our brother’s wrist or the splendid gifts that we received; or the mouthwatering sweets or the dainty dresses that was special.

It was the togetherness that has always been remarkable. A brother’s presence ,support and promise has always been a sister’s best gift because years later she may forget the gifts she had received but she will never forget the magnanimous smile that adorned his lips when she tied the rakhi that she had painstakingly made or procured for him.

Thus, when today we receive phone calls from our siblings and gulp down our nostalgia to wish ‘Happy Rakhi’, we realise that our siblings are the physical elements of our memory, the fragments of childhood that can never be lost.

(Anushka Roy, Coordinator, Class XI, St Joseph's Convent, Chandannagore)

Tracing the origin

The very thought of the Rakhi Purnima brings a smile to our face. Celebrated in India, Nepal and Mauritius, it commemorates the bond that sisters and brothers hold. There are many instances in history answering the question of Rakhsha Bandhan' sgenesis, the most popular one being about Roxana, Alexander’s wife and Porus. Another not very renowned historical incident is the evidence of Rani Karnavati (widowed queen of Chittor) sending a rakhito Aurangzeb to recapture the throne of Chittor in 535 AD.

Evidences of mythical occurrences of Rakhsha Bandhan had been found in the Mahabharata where Draupadi tied a strip of her silk sari to Krishna’s hand to protect him from bleeding in a battlefield wound.

Krishna thereby declared Draupadi as his sister and promised to be her protector. That is how this festival came into being. Happy Raksha Bandhan!

(Rwitacheta Sinha, Coordinator, Class VIII, St Josephs Convent, Chandannaga)

Affable friendship

The bond between a brother and a sister is filled with sweet and sour memories; the funny memories along with some sad ones, the unreasonable fights that still continue.

The time that we spend with each other is too much fun. My brother and I had always fought with each other as kids and we still fight like that over small things or sometimes without any reason. We always got scolded together even now because we try to find the lamest excuse to start the argument, even the smallest issue that provokes.

There is no sister who has not stolen her brother’s toffees and then secretly ate them all. Those who have a sibling will understand how fun it is to be with them.

The very first friend in our childhood is our own sibling. We can share our sorrows or happiness with them. We celebrate every single occasion together; it seems disappointing if we are not together. I always like to make rakhis at home and then tie it on my brother’s wrist during Raksha bandhan.

It’s true that my brother has never gifted me pricey presents but has given me blessings and lots of love, which is precious than any other gift in the world.

(Anwita Dasgupta, Coordinator, Class IX, St Clare School)