Applying tilak on the forehead and tying a sacred thread embellished with sequins and religious symbols around the wrists, scores of sisters felicitated their brothers in a grand fashion on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan on Monday.
The auspicious Shravan poornima united siblings from across the communities who celebrated the unbreakable bond cherished between them.
A couple of decades before, the celebration was limited to north Indian families. With the cosmopolitan culture catching up in the city, a number of Telugu-speaking families followed suit. “I was inspired to see my Rajasthani neighbours tying rakhi to their brothers, praying for their well-being and exchanging gifts. My brother always helps me in my studies. I thought I should treat him for all the mighty deeds he did for me and Raksha Bandhan turned out to be an apt occasion,” says A. Lalitha Devi, B.Tech student who motivated her friends to follow the tradition of tying rakhi to their brothers every year.
Involving the younger generation, several Marwari families organised a get-together to celebrate Raksha Bandhan. With a number of north Indians being employed in Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, private organisations and software companies, the rakhi culture has been spreading in the port city.
Cashing in on this trend, a number of vendors set up temporary stalls in various neighbourhoods to sell Rakhis. Sweet shops too made a brisk business on the occasion.
At some workplaces, several women employees resorted to tying the sacred thread to male colleagues to put an end to flirtation. “I was trying to figure out a tactful way to avoid communicating with a colleague who flirts with me in the office when nobody is around. He was completely taken by surprise when I tied the knot around his wrist and offered a chocolate,” shares a software employee with a chuckle on the condition of anonymity.
Making the celebration inclusive, Shri Sai Samsthan Charitable Trust, East Point Colony invited visually-challenged girls and made them tie rakhi on the wrists of differently-abled brothers.
Brahmakumaris initiated a rakhi message campaign by visiting corporate offices and tying rakhis to brothers and sisters and offering sweets. They visited Central Prison, Netra Vidyalaya, Papa Home and Prema Samajam to spread the message of brotherhood.
