Happy Rakshabandhan...

Happy Rakhi to all the siblings!

I miss the awesome celebrations -- at home, when there used to be a variety of sweets and colourful rakhis to choose for each brother , who in turn used to take special care of sisters.Getting up on time, and preparing the meethi Sivai and Raam Rakhis, and choosing for special dishes to be prepared for that day.The fast we did before tying the Rakhi and doing the pooja.That day even the fights were reduced and Bhai talked extra sweetly , though just for a day. :-P
I even recall warning my bhai at times that if he fought with me, then I wont tie him a rakhi and blackmailing him for following days to do my work, owing to his promise of taking care of me :-P
In school, Rakhi was an alltogether different celebration, while there were some guys who bought chocolates or small gifts from their pocket money to fulfill the tradition and proudly added few more sisters to their list each year,while there were some others who ran away from tagging the sweet friendship as brotherhood.
There were some who had no real sisters and thus valued the "mooh boli behen" as dearly as real sisters, while their were some girls who made brothers just to avoid spreading rumors about being in a relationship with that guy ...
So many crushes were crushed . :-P
Rakhi was just about celebrations , good food and good income in my childhood - a tradition followed blindly..

As i grow up,I try to understand the real reason for this celebration and the meaning of this relation. I feel Rakhi is a festival to celebrate a true relation, which connects to the heart and stays intact forever, even despite distances or time . It is not about sweets, or gifts , or even the symbolic thread and tilak..it is about trust and a promise to be there - as a support system.
Some times even "mooh bola bhai behen" bond can be stronger than the biological siblings, sometimes even a younger brother can help his sister , by just being around.Sometimes, even a sister can just protect her brother, by supporting him mentally and emotionally..
Its all about love !
No sister would want expensive gifts , or long conversations from a brother, all they would need is a faith , a confidence and a belief that they have someone to rely on, to care for them - unconditionally!
We do not want you to fight for us , like a filmy hero, but we just need you around , day in and day out- to tease, to fight, to laugh with, to talk and to get guidance .
Rakhi is not just a festival for one day, but a promise to be fulfilled over lifetime.. :-)