A bond of love called Rakshabandhan...

This full moon day our hearts are in brim

Feeling of faith and serenity in mind.

We light the lamps and our hears glow

Radiance of happiness and peace are in flow.

Harmonious homes are like streams of joy

Flowing and flourishing the landscape en route.

Nobility in heart and character in deed

Righteous homes alone make a beautiful State.

Sisters will tie the thread on the brothers

Abiding them to do only what is right and clean.

Put the Kumkum and blessed rice on the head

Where will dwell right thoughts and noble action. 

                                    by A.P.J.Abdul Kalam

Its that time of the year again when we four meet, my younger brother, sister and our Big bhaiya. Thankfully we have been able to keep up with the tradition. Met them with their families this Rakshabandhan day. 

Its another walk down the memory lane. Its almost like reliving our childhood. Some things have changed and some are still the same. Changes are in the type of Rakhis and our bond of love is certainly the same, we pull each other's leg, laugh a lot and have a great time together. As far as Rakhis are concerned, those days colourful big Rakhis were a craze. I remember our brother would want us sisters to get him the biggest Rakhi. Probably he must have been around 10  years old then. Those Rakhis were made of sponge... layers of it and they were huge. They would be atleast 3- 4 tiers, had 'Mere Bhaiya' written on them and the boys loved sporting them. This was way back in the 1980s! Then as we grew up he didn't like the big Rakhis, wanted us to get the smaller and more sleek ones. That had beautiful messages on them.  When he was in college, he would insist on the still smaller versions of the sacred thread symbol of  love between brothers and sisters.

After he started working, he'd like just the fine, really neat thread  so that he could wear it on his wrist all year long. In fact its difficult to get such rakhis in the market now, so most of the time my sister ends up making them with sillk threads, We tie two Rakhis each one is a decorative one and the other being a plain thread, that our brother can wear all through the year. Its a tradition that our brother replaces his old Rakhis with the new ones every Rakhsbandhan day.

I also share a very special bond with my cousins, they are 3 brothers. I have been sending them Rakhis by post  as they stay in another state. Over the years the only time I write a letter in Hindi and post it along with the Rakhis is for them. Its a yearly ritual that I follow. Now all three of them are married and have kids, the number of Rakhis that I sent also has gone up with the arrival of my nephews. My aunt and uncle also make the customary call every Rakshabandhan day. That call is also very significant in our lives now. We spoke just last evening.

This festival reminds us that the bond of love between brother and sister is unique. Has the bitter sweet memories of childhood and the growing up years. One finds the first best friend in one's sibling. A friend for life. 

Thinking of my brothers and sister; sending them lots of love and best wishes.....

Written for http://indiblogeshwaris.com/2013/08/that-tuesday-thingy-brothers-and-sisters/

Images have been taken from google, with due credits