A bond at the wrist

[1]

Raji P. Shrivastava [1]

A proud princess tore off a strip of her jewel-encrusted sari to stop the flow of blood from a battlefield wound of a charming hero. The special relationship between the two is mentioned in the Mahabharata. She, Draupadi, is called Krishnaa, and he is, of course, Krishna: both magnificently dark of hue. This may have been India’s first rakhi.

Krishna sent forth an unending stream of fabric to protect Draupadi’s honour when one of the Kauravas, Duhshasana, attempted to disrobe the princess. Thereby, a “rakhi sister” was saved. This caught the imagination of generations to come who linked the rakhi to the brother-sister relationship and invested it with rich symbolism and poignant meaning.
The rakhi is not merely the stuff of mythology. It seems to have been a part of social life in ancient and medieval India, with some accounts connecting it to chivalrous emperors, anxious queens and marauding invaders.
The story goes that King Porus could not hit Alexander the Great with a bow directly because the invader’s wife Roxana had sent a rakhi to the Indian king. Rani Karnavati of Chittor sent a rakhi appeal to the Mughal emperor Humayun, apprehending an attack by Bahadurshah, the Sultan of Gujarat. Tragically, Chittor was besieged and the Rani along with thousands of women and children immolated herself as part of the ritual of Jauhar. Still, Humayun defeated the Sultan’s forces and seated the late Rani’s son on the throne of Chittor.
Traditions vary but the basic idea of Raksha Bandhan, as we know it today, is fairly well-established. The sister ties a rakhi on the brother’s wrist to renew their life-long bond and the brother gives her gifts in acknowledgement of that tie, promising her protection and support. The honouring of a rakhi pledge is a sacred responsibility.
The festival of Raksha Bandhan, which falls on Shravan Purnima, or the full moon day of Shravan month, has acquired modern manifestations. Those living in institutions like shelter homes or prisons receive rakhis that signify that they may be away from society but are not forgotten. Blood and kinship ties apart, rakhis are tied at the borders between India and Pakistan and sweets exchanged as a goodwill gesture that makes for pleasing photo-ops in the media.
Such tokens add to the emotive quotient of this ancient festival and do not detract from the noble sentiment at its core. In times of strife and mistrust, if a thread can bind, we should hope that colourful rakhis continue to be tied on the extended wrists of brothers by affectionate sisters.