“I want to go there and tie him Rakhi myself!” Angel said dejectedly. We had just got home after sending out our Rakhis to our cousins who live out of town. This is a ritual I’ve been following for years now but for a not-yet-4 Angel it was a first. Part excited, part unhappy, she wondered why she couldn’t fulfil her Rakhi dream with her cousin. Life would be much easier without that stickler ‘If only…’, wouldn’t it?

Rakhi celebrates the special bond between a brother and sister or between sisters, as I’ve delightfully seen of late. Whether it is about getting the perfect Rakhi, decking up in your best, gorging on lip-smacking food or looking forward to gifts, there is an infectious positivity in the air on this day. Whatever their age, sisters love to be pampered and treated like royalty by family. Charmingly, religion doesn’t get in its way too! 🙂

Is this relation limited to siblings though? Not the way I see it! My first brother on my first Rakhi wasn’t my own brother but Dad’s friend’s son who is eight months younger to me. Couple of other boys, one in his family and another in mine, joined us in the next few years while I remained the only sister. Rakhi wasn’t complete without their family coming over to our place for a hearty lunch prepared lovingly by my expert Mom. It never occurred to us that we weren’t bonded by blood. Precious, isn’t it? 🙂

“I have five brothers.” was my reply when our teacher asked us about our siblings in the first grade. When Mom visited her in school few days later she amusingly told her about it in my presence. I promptly counted all my cousins’ names on my fingers while both women chuckled at my innocence. Cousin was a new word I learnt that day. Till date, all my Bhaiyas spoil me and cater to my silliest demands. My favourite one was making them feed me whenever I applied mehndi on my palms while visiting them. Every year they look forward to my Rakhi and we keep wishing sometime we can be together on this day. Alas, it hasn’t happened yet. 🙁

Call it the undoing of my generation; girls (including me) had a bunch of Rakhi-brothers. Some were genuine relations but most were close friends who doubled up as extended caretakers with this arrangement. Mothers felt comfortable sending their daughters out with so-called brothers than friends while we used the opportunity to enjoy some helicopter-free time. It is a different thing that a couple of girls went ahead and married their Rakhi brothers. That might not be wrong but is, well, creepy. Not sure if girls do it even now. Can anyone tell me?

Are brothers (or sisters) only limited to the tying of Rakhi though? The helpers who work for us round the clock and essentially called Bhaiya, our househelps who report to work even with fever at times or our soldiers who fight enemies and extreme weather on the border to protect us have an unsaid kinship with us, don’t they? Humanity is the biggest and strongest relation on earth. Being kind and considerate towards people in general isn’t so hard, is it? Can’t we practice it with them too on this day?

Finally, I cannot leave my own darling brother out of a Rakhi post, right? What do I say about him? As kids we fought so much that our mother wished us away out of sheer frustration! I hit him black and blue when he was younger but the boy later grew muscles (I believe only to counter me!) and scared me with them. Growing up, however, we became friends and confidantes. We covered for each other and cared more than we ever imagined. With Mom gone he’s like my guardian now and makes sure I don’t feel lonely. God and Mom and truly smiling down on me, aren’t they? Touchwood! 🙂

Thank you our hosts Sayeri from sayeridiary.com and Jhilmil from mommyinme.com , for having this fun carnival and making me a part of it!

I’m so happy to reminisce about Rakhi and the many wonderful things associated with it through this blogtrain. I’d like to thank Khushboo for introducing me her blog. Khushboo has a passion for makeup and beauty. She’s a nature lover and loves travelling and exploring new places.

I would divert this train now to the next station which is Mrinal’s blog. Mrinal is an engineering student who blogs about beauty, skincare and women-related things. I like her honest reviews and look forward to her practical tips too!

Hope this post reminded you of your Rakhi experiences too. Please share them with me. I would love to know!