Religion no barrier for Rakhi, also makes soldiers feel special

VAIBHAV PARWAT

Aurangabad, Aug 21:

Rakhi, has attained a colour of brotherhood, harmony, pure love and friendship. Barring religion, women reach out to their brothers to tie the sacred thread, which symbolises protection and security. While many women send rakhis to the soldiers for their selfless service and hoping for a peaceful country.

Nausheen Siddiqui, who is an entrepreneur by profession ties rakhi to Dhaval Borikar, a teacher, every year without fail for the past 15 years. Nausheen said, ``We have known each other since we were kids. Our families used to live in Kasari Bazar. Dhaval did not have a sister, so I thought why not tie a rakhi. My parents also happily agreed. It was a feeling of pride when I first tied Rakhi on Dhaval bhaiyya's wrist and since then I have been tying Rakhi every year. Religion has never been an issue. We have been taught never to discriminate and live with each other in harmony. We live in a country where we get to celebrate such beautiful festivals together. Dhaval has always considered me as his elder sister and seeks my advice while taking important decisions. Our families also celebrate all festivals together. The tradition will also continue in the next generation.

Sending rakhis to soldiers for the past 10 years

In its 10th year now, Ankita Saraf, a social worker has diligently sent hundreds of rakhis to the soldiers, who are posted at various places of the country. Saraf started sending Rakhis after realising that most of the soldiers cannot go home to celebrate the festival. Saraf said, the soldiers at the borders protect us day and night. Due to the nature of their duty, they miss out on celebrating many festivals in their homes. We are sending rakhis to make them feel special on that day. Along with it, we are also sending sweets and greeting cards. The rakhis are posted to individual regiments that are deployed in several areas of the country. From there, they are sent to various forward locations. The rakhis are then tied to the soldier’s wrist on Rakhi Purnima by the unit pandit or gyaani. We believe this is one of the ways we want to tell our brave soldiers how grateful we are for the sacrifices they make for us to be safe,” she added.