Raksha Bandhan – A Tie That Binds

A sacred tie that binds two siblings, this festival is celebrated all over India. This is the bond of protection that holds the brother and sister together. Owing to our old mythological stories we have always believed that our men folk protect the females. That way a husband protects his wife, a brother protects his sister, and a father protects his daughter.

Raksha Bandhan is a celebration of the love between the sister and the brother. All days of the year they may be thrashing each other and driving everyone crazy – but this is one day when they religiously pray to the Almighty for blessings, not for the self, but for the other. Of course, there’s a huge window for the sister to receive gifts, but this festival goes beyond.

Tagore used the Raksha Bandhan festival in the year 1905 to prevent communal wars – thousands of Hindus and Muslims came together in Kolkata, Dhaka and Sylhet to celebrate unity, brotherhood and friendship. As we are at the threshold of Raksha Bandhan 2019, it is a fact worth commemorating – that a century ago this festival prevented communal riots in an otherwise war-torn country.