The thread of special bond

Raksha Bandhan

But as the City becomes more cosmopolitan, with people from all over India making it their home, this apathy seems to be changing. Metrolife speaks to a few Bangaloreans to find out what they think of Rakhi, and whether they plan to celebrate it this year.

Usha, a training executive who is born and brought up in Bangalore, says that she has definitely noticed an increase in the pomp with which ‘Rakhi’ is celebrated in the City. “Initially, Rakhi was one of the traditional village festivals in the North. It was a big occasion there, but nobody in Bangalore used to celebrate it in the same manner,” she says. But all of this has changed, maintains Usha.

She adds, “It used to be important only for North Indians, but today, Rakhi has suddenly become a very big deal in the City. I suddenly see a lot of vendors selling Rakhis on the roads. It seems that Bangalore has also joined in the celebrations.”

However, this view isn’t shared by all Bangaloreans. Deepti, a professional who has come to the City from Chhattisgarh only six months back, says that the festival isn’t celebrated here the way it is back in her home town. “I’ve been in Bangalore only for a while, and this is going to be my first Rakhi in the City. But from what I have seen so far, it isn’t a very big deal here — definitely not the way it is in the North. The first thing I noticed is that my office doesn’t give us a holiday on Rakhi,” she says, laughing.

Interestingly, Jeeva, a professional who has lived in Bangalore her entire life, claims that when she was younger, Rakhi was not an entirely neglected festival. “It’s true that people make a bigger deal about the occasion now, but it was celebrated earlier too. I never celebrated it personally when I was a child, but many of my friends and neighbours did. Bangalore has so many different kinds of people in it. Many local people want to understand the festivals and traditions of others, which is why they celebrate Rakhi too,” she says.

So how are Bangaloreans planning to celebrate the festival? Usha says that it might not be a traditionally celebrated festival but that isn’t going to stop her from having a nice time.

“My family is definitely going to celebrate Rakhi. We will have a short puja, and probably get lots of sweets. I’ll probably tie a Rakhi for my brother and take his blessings,” she says.

Deepti also plans to do something special on the day of the festival. “I don’t have any relatives in Bangalore, but my brother is coming to town that weekend to spend Rakhi with me,” she says.