All over the world, siblings do share a priceless bond. But in many parts of India, the beautiful relationship shared by a brother and sister is secured by a thread of love. The rakhi, a thread that a sister ties for her brother during the festival of Raksha Bandhan, is a symbol of love, care and respect.
Sister is my all time protector
My sister and I grew up together in the US. She is just 18 months older to me. As both of my parents worked, she was the one responsible for me. She was very strong physically, almost twice my size, so she could dominate me.
When I was in class 10, she moved back to India to study medicine. Then, she got married and had two kids. Again, when I was moving to India, my sister with her family moved to the US. From 1992 to 2016, we were staying apart in different countries. We were finally reunited two years ago when she came back to India. Throughout my life, she has been a mother figure to me. She counsels me whenever needed and even if I don’t need it. She is definitely one of the important persons in my life.
When I look at her, I see someone who can look after me and protect me. Raksha Bandhan celebrates that bond we share. Sadly, we hadn’t been together to celebrate Raksha Bandhan for years. When she came back to India and tied the rakhi, it was a special moment as it was the first time we celebrated the festival with such fervour.
— Swati Sharma
The one who matters a lot
Another set of siblings who share a lovely bond is new-age violin virtuoso Ambi Subramaniam and his sister Bindu Subramanium.
“People always want to know how much we fight and the unfortunate answer is — not enough. We sort of share the same brain, which means we often end up saying the same thing at the same time,” quips Ambi, who is the son of the legendary violinist L. Subramanium, and associate director of SaPa, the music academy.
Ambi and Bindu Subramaniam
Bindu, who is also his business partner, believes they have reached the stage where they can handle disagreements. “Growing up, our brother Narayana was the buffer. So we never really fought with each other,” she says.
On the work front, while Ambi may call the shots, in other areas of life, his sister’s opinion matters to him. “She mostly decides what I wear and I give her life advice, which she usually won’t take,” Ambi quips.
— Pooja Prabbhan
A delayed celebration for them
For Anamika Dave, the wait is a long one. Sister to cricketers Hardik and Krunal Pandya, Anamika will miss her brothers this Sunday.
Hardik Pandya, who is a member of the Indian cricket team, is playing in the test series in England. His elder brother Krunal, a first class player, is in Bengaluru for matches.
Anamika with Hardik and Krunal
“We used to celebrate this festival every year. I would travel to Vadodara to tie the rakhis,” says Anamika, speaking from Ahmedabad, where she works as the head of HR for a company.
But this isn’t the first time she’s had to wait for her famous brothers. “It is the second consecutive year when I will miss both my brothers. Last year also, they were busy playing elsewhere and I could not celebrate the day with them,” she says.
Hanuma Vihari is also unavailable this year
Team India newbie Hanuman Vihari’s sister Vaishnavi is sad that he won’t be around to celebrate Raksha Bandhan as he joined the team just two days ago. “I celebrate Raksha Bandhan every year. I will miss him this year. But I’ll celebrate once he comes back,” she says.
Hanuman Vihari’s and Vaishnavi
Though she says she could have tied the rakhi before he left, there wasn’t any time. “His inclusion in the team and departure was so sudden. As he was busy completing all the formalities, we did not get time,” she says.
— Bipin Dani
HT02
