Lasting ties

I don’t know about you but my life seems like an endless rollercoaster ride. It slows, heaves, spins and spirals out of control, but never stops long enough for me to take a breather. Out of all the myriad moods, emotions, locations that this rollercoaster transcends, one of the most cherished days for me is raksha bandhan, the day of rakhi - a simple ornament of promise tied around the wrist as a celebration of shared trust, affection and bond.

There are several historical stories on Rakhi and its origin, a brother to protect his sister. Roxana was not related to Puru by blood. Yet the thread of rakhi was enough for him to protect his sister’s life and love, losing everything in the process. This is the chronicled significance of this festival of raksha bandhan. Life, love or property, a brother sacrifices all for his sister. Today in the age of computers and the internet, the celebration of raksha bandhan has proved to be an adept mechanism in strengthening the country’s social bondage with its age-old traditions and

A symbol of affection

I am an only child, and till I was 16, I tied a rakhi on my father. Unfortunately he passed away very young in his life, and I started tying a rakhi on my maternal grandfather. I continued that practice for however the one that I remember clearly is the legend of Alexander and Porus (Puru). Among all the mythological references, this story was recorded in history as a true event. It refers to the time when India was invaded by the Greeks in 326 BC. King Alexander’s wife Roxana (Roshank) was of Indian descent, and Alexander married her to cement his relations with the new Central Asian regions.

On the way to Takshshila, Alexander had a fierce battle with Ashwakas but managed to defeat them. On reaching Takshshila, he entered into an alliance with King Ambhi.

The neighboring King Puru was Ambhi’s enemy. Ambhi had planned to destroy Puru using Alexander. Several other rulers also pitched in to help Alexander. Roxana was aware of King Puru’s fierce wrath and approached him. She tied a rakhi on him, and Puru accepted her as his own sister and welcomed her with warmth. During the war between Puru and Alexander, the latter fell from his horse and Puru was almost about to kill him. But he remembered the oath made to his sister, through the bond of rakhi tied on his wrist. He refrained from slaying Alexander and ultimately lost the battle.

This story is a true example of the sacrifices made by beliefs. The pujas and the rituals that are performed on this day aptly uphold the sacrosanct values and norms associated with this festival. many years, and at the festival I felt a paradox of emotions, sweetness tinged with a little sadness. I missed my dad but my grandfather more than made up for my loss. He had no sisters and he got involved in this ritual of rakhi only after I started tying it to him. We both looked forward to the day.

As a result of increased globalisation, many Indians have migrated to various parts of the world. Settling in a foreign country comes with its own set of challenges, the foremost being unable to celebrate festivals with the same fervor and rituals as was possible in India. This has in no way diminished the desire for brothers and sisters to mark this important festival with their own variation of traditional bonding. While time and distance can cause difficult barriers, technology can mitigate its effect by facilitating quick messaging and gifting.

In my 15 years in Australia I have seen and heard many interesting variations of how people celebrate raksha bandhan. Like my friend who used to offer Ferrero Rocher chocolates instead of laddoos with her pooja thali as they ‘kind of look alike and are both sweet’ or another one who ties a rakhi to her husband every year because his sister lives overseas. Here are some stories of this festival which celebrates the lasting bond between brother and sister.

I made sure that I put a lot of thought into my gifts for grand-dad. I saved for days to buy him something nice. I remember he used to pull my leg about it and every day prior to rakhi he would ask me how my savings were going and we would share a laugh over my often-pathetic efforts to skimp and save. While I was delighted with the rakhi money that he gifted me every year I still remember the warmth of his hugs that were more precious and priceless to me.

Since migrating to Australia I make sure I tie rakhis on my two sons who do not have a sister. I feel that the real essence of rakhi is that it is symbolic of love, affection and being there for each other. It does not have to be restricted to a brother and sister relationship, it can work for any special connection you may have in life. It reiterates a sense of belonging, which is very precious.

In our house the puja is not elaborate other than offering a note of thanks to God; in any case my two boys are more interested in the sweets than the path-puja. As for me, I look forward to the Turkish delights I get every year from them, as they are my favourite chocolates. Rakhi in our family is a give and take of affection.

Jyotika Singh

Homemade, from the heart

A large yellow sponge cut out in the shape of a flower, with a shiny Bollywood pink cardboard Ganeshji stuck on top, stitched precariously onto the middle of a flimsy golden cord.

That was the design of the rakhis on offer, in my first year here. It was over twenty years ago, and as a brand new bride who had left her family behind, I was homesick as hell. On my first Rakshabandhan in Australia, I couldn’t believe I would miss my two brothers this much. Still, I couldn’t send them the