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Sibling revelry
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It'll no longer do to buy your brother a simple blue or red thread with some beads for Raksha Bandhan. BHUMIKA K. discovers that fashion has caught up with the brother-sister bonding as well
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Sisters shopping for that piece of thread. Consumerism has definitely driven creativity to new heights though the sentiment of the festival remains intact. — Photo: A.M. Faruqui
"BHAIYA MERE rakhi ke bandhan ko nibhana... " was all a sister asked of her brother on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan at one time, epitomised in this Hindi film song. But for today's brothers and sisters, it's another glam fest to celebrate. The simple thread that formed the bond of love and protection has gone designer, and a sweet or some money tucked into the sister's palm is now passé. Now you pick your gift from a range of teddies, kurtis, perfumes, denim pillows, and even laptops!
But why complain when every festival, existent and non-existent, has been reborn and re-celebrated in new ways? If Valentines Day, Friendship Day, Mother's Day and Father's Day have the cash registers ringing for greeting card and gift dealers, Raksha Bandhan can't be far behind.
Exquisite thread
`I send rakhis to my brothers in Rajasthan every year by post. In return, they send me money or clothes as a gift. Raksha Bandhan is a big festival for us in Rajasthan and we usually make it a point to make traditional sweets such as ghewar, phirni, and sweet rice that day.' — Pushpa Singh, chef
So every sister is busy shopping for that exquisite thread they can tie on their brother's arm this August 30. Cards, specially made for the occasion, have flooded the market. With a whole lot of brothers and sisters having moved abroad or living in different cities, celebrations have also gone online. Check out what some online rakhi shopping websites offer, and you will be forced to admit one thing — that this consumer craze has definitely driven creativity to new heights. But the sentiment of the festival remains intact.
`I have tied rakhis for my brother and cousins ever since I was in school. Every year, I tie rakhis to 14 of my brothers. I guess earlier only North Indians would celebrate this festival in a big way, but now even the South has caught on. I don't like these gift packs where the rakhis come with chocolates and cards. I would rather have my brothers give me the chocolates, like they always do.' — Chandrika, doctor
Begin rakhi-hunting with the kids' section and you find that Harry Potter and Popeye have invaded even this aspect of their lives — their underwear, and T-shirts to plates and cups! So Harry Potter, Popeye, Tweety, and Mickey Mouse rakhis seem to be hot favourites this season.
Cashing in on the cricket craze, there's the Little Master Sachin rakhi and the cricket bat rakhi. Rakhis with smileys, footballs, and Spiderman are the other types you will encounter. But you're bound to do a double take when you see the Harry Met Sally and their Indianised version Hum Tum rakhis! Ahem, correct me if I'm wrong, but they've hardly anything to do with brothers and sisters, right?
`My sister ties rakhi for me every year. I want rakhis up to my elbow! I liked the teddy bear rakhi this time, but mummy didn't buy it for me. I give my sister Rs. 100, after taking it from daddy. I like Raksha Bandhan festival because isme mazaa aata hai.' — Akash P. Wadhwa
There are also rakhi gift packs with board games and toys such as the Spiderman Bump and Go toy that goes with these colourful rakhis.
Tradition too
But one can't be altogether leaving tradition behind, you see. So accompanying all this funky stuff is the traditional rice, roli, dhruv grass and coconut. And the prices could range anywhere between Rs. 135 to Rs. 575 for a door delivery. Makes you rather nostalgic for the days when you went to the market near your home and picked up that simple red or blue thread with some beads on it and paid the shopkeeper Rs. 3! Help! there must be some people around doing things the old way.
`I have been selling rakhis in Bangalore for the last 40 years. There are no rakhi manufacturers in Bangalore. People earlier used to prefer the colourful Rajasthani rachis. large ones with silver borders. The festival has caught on in a large way over the last 10 years. Today people prefer the Kolkata rakhis, smaller and subtler, keeping up with contemporary design. — S. Dhandapani, proprietor
When you get to the older age group, rakhis precious and divine seem to be in. What else would explain the plethora of gold, silver, emerald, ruby, or navaratna rakhis available online? There are also rakhis with gold coins of Krishna or Ganesha, which can be later used as pendants. All these come at prices ranging from Rs. 300 to Rs. 799. You even have Feng Shui rakhis filled with gold ingots!
Bottled up
For sisters willing to try something different, a rakhi and a message in a bottle is there for starters, or you could couple it with mocha or apple 'n' honey chocolates. Return-gift hampers from brothers abound — dry fruits, jewellery, silver-plated thalis, mithai, perfumes, slimming drinks, hair curlers, microwaves, PDAs, pizza makers, and other home appliances, including a semi-automatic washing machine that can be door-delivered to your sister at Rs. 7,050!
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