The term “Raksha Bandhan” means “the bond of protection” and is observed on a full moon day. We observe sisters tie Rakhi on their brother’s wrists and wish they have a prosperous, happy, and fulfilling life. In return, the brothers promise to protect and love their sisters unconditionally.
The true significance of Rakhi, or the thread here which is being tied, is a strong representation of love and protection.
One misconception of Raksha Bandhan among most of us is that it can only be performed between brothers and sisters. However, this concept is not true, and even a husband or wife can tie Rakhi in each other’s hands, or a disciple can also tie Rakhi to his guru. A friend can tie rakhi on another friend’s hand. If we look back in history one of the stories of Rakshabandhan dates back to the Mahabharata era. Once Lord Krishna cut his finger, Draupadi tied a piece of cloth from her saree, which stopped the bleeding. After this incident, the piece of cloth becomes a sacred thread And symbolizes the true significance of Raksha Bandhan. The point to ponder here is that – Krishna was Draupadi’s Sakha – not brother!
Tying Rakhi on someone’s hand is set to increase the bond of protection, respect, and love between the two individuals irrespective of any blood relations they have with each other. Irrespective of the fact that they’re brother and sister.
Taking a cue from the same essence
Rabindranath Tagore deftly used the concept of brotherhood, togetherness and ‘the thread of protection’ as a medium to protest against the British’s partition policy by showing a picture of unity among the two communities- Hindu and Muslim. Following Tagore’s call, hundreds of Hindus and Muslims in Kolkata, Dhaka and Sylhet came out in large numbers to tie Rakhi threads as a symbol of unity. Tagore’s heartland Santiniketan still follows the tradition and the university students tie Rakhi to neighbours and common people to give a message of harmony and love.
In today’s age and time, it is important to give our children a gender-neutral, unbiased perspective of the traditions and rituals we follow. It is time we understand the true essence and evolve with time to make these rituals more meaningful and memorable.
I was running a preschool where we had introduced Rakshabandhan in its true essence – children used to come all dressed up and excited to tie rakhi on each other’s wrist- irrespective of their gender, blood relation or religion! And this would fill them up with so much joy and happiness. Because everyone deserves a happy life, everyone deserves love and protection!
