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Vashi2Panvel.Com: Navi Mumbai: August 8: Little Afshan is waiting for her brother Salim Shaikh, a merchant navy to return tonight so she can tie him a ‘Rakhi’ tomorrow. “When my brother was here, I always tied him a Rakhi. But since he got a job, he cannot return for festivals. But this year is different,” gleams the 13-year-old Vashi resident. Similarly, the Timberwala residence in Khandeshwar is abuzz with Raksha Bandhan celebrations. 16-year-old Delnaaz is helping her mother prepare some sweets for her brother for the special occasion tomorrow.

Raksha Bandhan doesn’t see any religious or cultural boundaries. People of all cultures, traditions and religion celebrate it with great enthusiasm. Says Timberwala, “Delnaaz used to see her friends tying rakhi to their brothers when she was a kid and insisting on doing the same too. Since then, we have been celebrating this festival.”

Besides breaking the religious barriers, Raksha Bandhan is celebrated across the city in a unique style! The Rajasthanis follow a bizarre ritual. Here, sisters-in-law tie a rakhi to their brothers’ wife or ‘bhabhi’. “My aunt ties a rakhi to my mother. It has to be tied on the bangle or kada and not on the wrist,” says Divya Garg, M Com student, Sydenham College and New Panvel resident. Question her on the reason behind following this practice and she disappoints you. “I have no idea. It’s just a ritual and we have been following it since years now. Nobody questions the reason behind it,” she says.

The Gujratis though follow the more known practice of sister tying a rakhi to the brother to save her from the evil they follow what is called ‘Veer-pasli-ka-dora’. “The sisters prepare a ‘rakhi’ made of 108 threads and give it to their brother on a Sunday that falls before Rakhi. The brother has to accept this thread and after this we celebrate Raksha Bandhan like everybody does,” says Dharitri Damini, New Panvel resident.

Amongst the Sindhis, the practice is of tying a thread to the bed first! Now that’s pretty outlandish. Says Bharati Mangalani, a software engineer with Satyam, “Now don’t ask me why we do it! Nobody knows. We are just following what our ancestors did. This is an age-old practice. Probably because we think that the bed is our saviour because we rest on it,” she quips!

Those from UP and Bihar tie the first rakhi to the lord. Says Pratima Tiwari, a homemaker and Sanpada resident, “After all God is our first saviour. He is omni-potent and we go to him first when in trouble. So, it’s pertinent to tie him a rakhi before anyone else!”

Different cultures, different style…That’s the spirit Raksha Bandhan evokes!

Swati Pandey