Hindu community celebrates Raksha Bandhan

Like everywhere else around the globe, the Hindu community in Karachi also observed the annual festival of Raksha Bandhan, commonly known as Rakhi, on Sunday with enthusiasm.

The festival is celebrated on the full moon day of the Hindu lunisolar calendar in the month of Savan or Shravana which typically falls in the Gregorian calendar’s month of August. The festival is celebrated to mark the bond of love between sisters and brothers. To symbolise the bond, women tie a Rakhi (decorative threads) around the wrist of their brothers in order to pray for their prosperity, health and safety. After the Rakhi ceremony and Pooja (worship), brothers give presents to their sisters and vow to protect them.

Married sisters visit their brothers’ homes to tie them a Rakhi. As the brothers expect visits from their sisters, they decorate their house and the occasion becomes a great family gathering. Hindu girls, young women and even the elderly thronged various temples in the country to buy Rakhis for the festival.

“Raksha literally means protection and Bandhan means a tie or a bond. Hence Raksha Bandhan means a tie or bond of protection,” said Sanjay Kumar, a university student. “Rakhi has turned out to be a symbol of strong human relationship beyond religious differences.”

Inside the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, a temple situated on MA Jinnah Road, a large number of makeshift stalls were set up for selling stylish Rakhi threads in different colours and designs. Their prices varied between Rs100 and Rs500.

Mahesh Anand, a Hindu vendor selling Rakhis in the temple, said a large number of Hindu women had purchased Rakhis for their brothers in the past few days. “But on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan, the sale became very high,” he told The News.