Raksha Bandhan -Sibling Bond in Mangalore City

The auspicious festival of Raksha Bandhan depicting the love between a brother and sister always falls on the full moon day, in the month of Shravana, the holiest month for the Hindu community, as the rains are receding, sea is calming down and the weather is very pleasant. This year Raksha Bandhan will be celebrated on Tuesday, August 28 which falls tommorrow.

This is indeed a special occasion, when a sister ties a scared thread called 'Rakhi' around her brother's wrist. She prays to God for the safety of her brother and to /st1:placelead him on a good path. The brother in return feeds her sweets and blesses her with good wishes and accepts the responsibility of protecting her. In Indian tradition the frail thread of Rakhi is considered stronger than an iron chain, as it binds brothers and sisters in an inseparable bond of love and trust. Raksha Bandhan is meant not just for siblings, but for protection of any loved one. 'Raksha' means protection and 'bandhan' means bond.

This year too like the previous year, the preparations for the Raksha Bandhan festival have begin much in advance all over the country. A few days ahead of the festival, one can see colourful Rakhis in the market. Girls have started shopping and looking around for fancy Rakhis. One can see all round rakhis in all shapes, sizes, colours and forms. The sweet shops, garment shops, fancy shops are all also flooded with fanciful things to attract people indicating the gaiety and joy of the occasion.

By and large one finds Raksha Bandhan being celebrated with much gusto all over North India, but this time around the festival fever has peaked here too among the Mangaloreans. Now with other Hindu festivities the rakhi tying ritual too has become an important festival for many families in Mangalore city in the recent years.Most Hindus of Mangalore prefer to celebrate this auspicious day privately in their homes. But there are places where it is celebrated as a public ceremony where girls who don't have a brother tie the sacred rakhi around the wrist of a good friend whom she trusts thus making him a brother.

In recent years Raksha Bhandan has become more popular among the younger generation in Mangalore. All around, due to the influx of northerners into Mangalore, one finds young girls in Mangalore all excited making preparations for the festival of Raksha Bandhan, by shopping around for colourful rakhis, sweets and gifts. They have already started buying rakhis and other items required for a traditional 'Aarti Thali’. The thali is a special plate on which the rakhi is placed alongside a lamp, rice grains, sweets and vermilion which are all necessary for the ceremony.

With the Raksha Bandhan just a day away, all round one find’s there is brisk business in the sale of Rakhis. Most of the customers seen buying them are children and students. Gift shops, fancy stores and malls are filled with fancy Raksha Bandhan cards, colourful Rakhis and gift items. A walk down the streets of Mangalore one can notice as a display everywhere, beautiful rakhis hanging outside every fancy store to attract customers. One can choose from a variety of rakhis ranging from simple threads, colourful beads to designer pieces. The cost of the rakhi ranges any where from Rs 3 to Rs 50. There are also several web portals offering mega deals during the season, and Rakhis and gifts can be ordered online and delivered at a short notice this festive season.