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India celebrates sibling festival of 'Raksha Bandhan'
by Maya/Bilal Butt

     New Delhi/ Srinagar/Amritsar: Indians, particularly those hailing from and residing in the northern part of the country, celebrated the sibling festival of "Raksha Bandhan" on Friday with much fanfare. Sisters made a beeline for their brothers' residences to tie "Rakhis" or sacred threads on their brothers' wrists as an expression of their love, wishing them prosperity and happiness. The brothers', on their part, pledged to protect their sisters' honour. Young school children visited the residence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi, the president of the Congress Party, in New Delhi to tie the sacred thread. Rakhis are usually made of tinsel, colourful cotton, silk, gold or silver twisted threads and the price ranges from about five cents for a plain thread to nearly 100 dollars for a golden bracelet.

    In Srinagar, Hindus celebrated rakhi with great fervour. Kashmiri Hindus, who had been forced to migrate to other areas after the rebellion broke out in the restive valley 16 year-ago, said it was good to return to their native land following a lull in violence. "After a long gap there is a feeling that peace has finally made its way to the valley. Rakhi festival is about the siblings love to each other. On rakhi, sisters tie sacred thread on their brothers' wrist. We are happy to celebrate this festival in a peaceful atmosphere," said VIpin, a local resident. Rajendra, another local, said: "During the last 16 years the situation was bad in the valley, but now we are happy that everything is returning to normal." At the Wagah border, college girls, ladies politicians and other females tied a thread of brotherhood on the wrists of paramilitary personnel who are living miles away from their homes while guarding country_s frontiers. Rajvinder Kaur, a student, said that "My feelings are beyond expression of words. The aim is to make them feel that they are not far away from their homes and families, this would in turn multiply their enthusiasm." Pardeep Katyal, Commandant the Border Security Force's 12th Battalion, said: "We are proud to have such fellow citizens who never forget us in any moment. They just raise the spirit of the jawans (soldiers)." Rakshabandhan is also celebrated by other communities as well. Hundreds of Hindu pilgrims queued up at the historic Shankaracharya Temple to pay their respects on the auspicious Full Moon day. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Festival's origin dates back several centuries to the time when an upper caste Hindu queen Rani Karnavati, in time of war, sent a thread to the Mughal ruler Humayun, requesting protection from the enemy. King Humayun accepted the thread and honoured her request. Since then, the tradition continues in most Indian families.
-Aug 19, 2005