In a time of terrorism, bomb blasts and target killings, Hindu girls and women, setting aside all their worries, are all set to celebrate the colourful festival of Raksha Bandhan today (Saturday) with fanfare.
Raksha Bandhan (the bond of protection) or the Rakhi (thread of love) festival celebrates the relationship between brothers and sisters. The Hindus celebrate Rakhi festival on the full moon in the month of Savan or Sravana, a month in the lunar calendar. The women tie the Rakhi around their brothers’ wrist and pray for their safety. In return, the brothers bless their sisters and promise protecting them from the evils of the world. They also give a gift as a token of their love and affection to their sisters.
A large number of girls, young women and even the elderly thronged the temples of the city to buy Rakhis for the grand festival.
Inside the temples, many shopkeepers have set up makeshift stalls for selling trendy Rakhis in different colours and designs among other pooja items.
Rakhis are not made in Pakistan on commercial basis and local businessmen have to import them from India, where Rakhi manufacturing is itself an industry.
Shopkeepers at the Rakhi market inside Swami Narain Temple told Pakistan Today that Rakhis of many colours are available but red, yellow and golden colours are the most popular among the local population.
Rakhis priced up to Rs 600 are available depending upon their colours, design and the material used to make them. Some of the Rakhis carry names on their threads, while others have some initials engraved. Rakhis made of colourful beads, coins and embedded statues of Hindu gods and goddesses on plastic are also available, with some even having different designs made in ivory.
Moreover, these shops are also selling the ‘Arti Thali’ – a special plate for performing Arti – and also the items used to fill the plate, including grain, diya (clay or metal lamp), sweets, flowers, small cups and spoons (to offer holy water to one’s brother during rituals), small water jug (to throw water during Arti as a gift from god), camphor (for scent), sandal paste (to apply tilak on brother’s forehead), kumkum (vermillion) powder, agarbatti (incense sticks), small oil lamps and pieces of saffron clothes.
During the Raksha Bandhan ritual, the women keep all these items in the Arti Thali besides the Rakhi thread and also some food for offering (fresh or dry fruits or freshly cooked food).
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Hindu Foundation (PHF) has also planned special programmes in different cities of Sindh where women will gather and tie Rakhis to their brother. The organisation has also arranged pooja items and Rakhis for the girls who can’t afford to buy them.
“The importance of Rakhi has increased these days due to increasing security risks in the city, including targeted killings and bomb blasts among other disasters. We believe the Rakhi keeps our brothers safe from all these risks,” says Rachna Devi.
Devi is a housewife and lives in the Chetan Mal Compound in Garden area. She has two brothers and had come to the Swami Narain Temple to buy special Rakhis for them.
“We feel really happy when our sisters tie us Rakhis. It gives us a feeling of protection and it feels like our sisters’ prayers are with us all the time,” said Suneel Kumar, a college student from Hyderabad, who has come to Karachi to visit his sister.
Due to the influence of Sufism in Sindh, Muslims also celebrated the festival in large numbers but with the passage of time, the trend has decreased considerably due to the rising religious intolerance in the society. The festival once celebrated publicly where Hindus and Muslims chose their Rakhi brothers, is now only restricted inside the homes of Hindus.
Though the festival celebrates sibling relationship, some religious leaders also tie Rakhis to their followers. Recently, women in the Thar Desert have been observed tying Rakhi threads around the rare indigenous trees that are on verge of extinction.