A rakhi’s tale

Karachi

As the full moon appeared on the August skies a few weeks past – marking the 14th of the Shravan month of the Hindu calendar – it was time for all siblings, young or old, to commence the festivities of Raksha Bandhan.

The festival, which revolves around the act of tying a band around the hand of a sibling and is usually a sister-brother exchange, continues for seven days. For this week of merriment, it can be safely assumed that the band – known as a rakhi – holds primary importance for all revellers.

The Sri Laxmi Narayan Temple, located right next to a popular eatery near Native Jetty, wore an empty look as compared to Thursday night when the festivities were in full swing. However, Paras, who has stayed a little longer for the weekend, sits idly on a small wooden takht with her aged mother, Mani, who is responsible for the temple’s cleanliness and upkeep.

“The rakhi is a very sacred ornament for us and is an integral part of Raksha Bandhan. They are not really made over here and, mostly, are brought in bulk by traders from India. Jaam Nagar, Bombay and Ahmedabad are the main cities producing rakhis,” explained Mani, adding that these are supplied to local sellers who set up shop outside temples across the country.

“Although most people buy rakhis on the day of the festival, they are available around a month before Raksha Bandhan.

 Once the festivities end, the bands disappear within a day or two, to be kept for the following year,” Paras added.

A colourful bracelet with varying ornamentations and tassels made of ‘resham’ thread, the traditional rakhi has not been immune to modernisation and has seen design innovations with various parables signifying sibling love introduced over the years.

“The original rakhi design, a simple design which has been around for centuries, costs around Rs10 or Rs20 but as everywhere, the price increases with the kind of rakhi bought. They can go up to thousands and, at times, sisters who can afford it choose to give silver or gold bracelets to their brothers.” 

Explaining the trend, Paras said that the people were keen to buy the bands which had pictures of Lord Ganesh and the one with jewels was the most expensive rakhi sold – for around Rs1,000.

Similarly, bands carrying a wooden piece with the ‘Om’ insignia carved in were also a popular choice this time.

But, it is not only the boys who have rakhis tied around their wrists as girls who do not have brothers can choose any close male relative for the ritual: “At times women who have lost a brother can tie rakhis around the wrist of their nephew. Many times, women tend to do the same with the statues of gods inside the temple. Just a few hours earlier, I removed many of them and dropped them in the waters under the Jetty.”

She mentioned that girls can do the same for their sisters because the main idea behind the ritual was of protection and how two people share a bond of mutual trust.

“When my brother went to work the next day, many of his colleagues who are Muslims requested him for the band,” she said.

While some prefer to wear the rakhi, many choose to take it off after the festivities. As the elders get busy in their lives, the children, after spending many hours of joy, plan to get even with each other because no band could ever replace the joys of the love-hate relationship unique to siblings.