The commercial opens with the scene of a young girl reversing her car and hitting a potted plant, while her horrified brother is watching. Looking into the camera, he says, “I like my sister. But I also like my car,” and promptly deposits his car keys in a private locker. With the tagline ‘keep the love for your sister intact’, the commercial reflects the contemporary bonding between the siblings. The commercial on the festival of Rakhi reflects modern siblings’ relationship. “Being affectionate towards one’s sister is all right, but one cannot get too sentimental in this generation,” points Pavan Kumar, an IT employee. “Maybe the bond they share has become complicated because of the different opinions they carry. Though the love continues to exist, it has become less sentimental and is more fun. The support for one another, in both professional and personal aspects, has grown stronger. Maybe better connectivity between siblings living in distant places has helped in this. They don’t miss each other now.”
At Ram Sailesh Agnihotri’s house in Mehdipatnam, Rakhi arrived a week before the festival. “My sister Shravya came to the city to visit me. Since she was here, she tied Rakhi on my wrist,” he says. The lab in-charge misses their ‘surprise gift’ celebrations back home at Vizag.
“Although I have not been able to surprise her, she was happy with my gift. Understanding the essence of the festival is more significant,” he affirms.
With more and more parents opting for a single child, there is a change in celebrations and perspective too. Writer Nandini Nayar shares how her son Pranav used to receive a Rakhi during the festival. “When Pranav was little, my mother would write a letter in Marathi and made it look like the cousin from US was sending it. Now, Pranav is cool about it and he never missed anything,” she smiles and adds, “I have a brother who lives in the US and I don’t meet him even once in two years. Once you become professional it is not practical to travel often to meet the family.”
Richa Chadda looks back at her younger days when Rakhi equated with fun. “I would bully my brother into doing things for me. I would say, “If you don’t do this to me, I would not tie Rakhi,” she laughs. As the traditional Rakhi thread turns modern, the ways of expression have also changed. She believes Rakhi should be gender-neutral and doesn’t force her five-year-old son to tie Rakhi. “I have explained and educated him about the festival so that he understands its significance. If he wants to tie a Rakhi, he can even tie it on my hand. The festival teaches togetherness and one should celebrate the relationship,” she states.
