Rakhi is an important festival in India, claiming its position right after Diwali, Dussehra and Holi. It is a festival that is believed to be traditionally a celebration of love between a brother and a sister. History however has different documentation and nowhere in history is it documented, that the festival seemed to have originated within the confines of a house, among two biological siblings.
The very first story, regarding the origin of Rakhi, is indeed very interesting and funny. The tradition in fact had begun between a husband and wife. During a fight between the God’s and the demons, Lord Indra was badly hurt and his wife, wishing to heal him, tied a holy thread, she had received from Lord Vishnu, as his blessing. Since the thread was meant for protection and she had tied the thread on the full moon day of the Shravana month, Rakhi is traditionally celebrated on that day every year.
There are other stories regarding Draupadi, King Humayun and King Porus, all pertaining to rakhi, where the underlying theme seems to be protection and love, in between two human beings, who might not be related by blood. Taking this tradition forward Rabindra Nath Tagore, started the festival to unite the Hindus and the Muslims, during the Independence movement in India.
Rakhi and rakhi gifts, since then have gone through a sea change. People no longer jostle in a crowded market place for that perfect string of love. Instead, they prefer to buy rakhi online. The festival of rakhi is not limited to India alone, it is celebrated in Nepal, Burma, Mauritius and among Hindu communities of Bangladesh and Pakistan.
In an age when people love to send rakhi gifts online, with a few mouse clicks, let us remember the by gone era, when rakhi was more of a family festivals. The rakhi sets, did not have the glitter and shine of gold or diamond, but they surely had the warmth of a brother’s affection and sister’s love.
People in the olden days only had a limited choice and usually tied a simple red thread around their brother’s wrist, known as Mouli rakhi. Then there was the Ram rakhi, which were made from simple threads, with a small floral design in the middle, made from the same thread. If you wanted to become a little classier, you could opt for floral or Resham dhaga rakhi that were made from silk thread and had more decorative designs.
Unlike modern times, it was not easy to send rakhi to India, and you had to rely on the old fashioned postal services. Often the rakhi reached the person weeks and sometimes months after the actual event was over. I don’t know, if people felt sad when they had to go empty handed on the day of rakhi, in spite of having a sister or felt overjoyed, when the rakhi finally reached them after a long time. Whatever may be the case, I am sure misunderstandings were few and people had faith in their siblings and the bond they shared.
