With Raksha Bandhan just gone by, social media is still filled with colourful photos of sisters tying ‘rakhis’ to brothers. The ‘rakhis’ come in all sizes, designs, and varieties.
Some went for eco-friendly ones, while others opted for glitter and colour. However, they all had one thing in common. Love. The festival celebrates love and togetherness in Indian families. Rakhi is just another way of showing it.
The tying of a rakhi signifies the strong bond, where a sister shows her love and faith in her brother while the brother reciprocates by showering his sister with gifts and money. It is ultimately a celebration of family bonds.
However, family need not be limited to blood relation only. That it can go beyond blood relation has been proved in Jharkhand, where young girls and womenfolk tied rakhis to trees.
They dressed up for the special occasion and, following all traditions, went up to the trees in their vicinity and tied rakhis to them, showing that trees are family as they protect the environment and, thereby, protect life.
This unique bond and Raksha Bandhan celebration was shared by Indian Forest Service officer of Jharkhand cadre, Mr. Suraj Kumar Singh, who is currently posted in Koderma as DFO. Posting some colourful photos of the ‘Van Rakshabandhan’ on X (formerly Twitter), he wrote that continuing the tradition, many villages of the region tied ‘Rakshasutra’ to trees with a vow to protect forest and wildlife.
See his tweet below:
Continuing the tradition Van Rakshabandhan celebrated in multiple villages on occasion of #RakshaBandhan by tying Rakshasutra to trees with a vow to protect forest and wildlife. @moefcc @JharkhandVan pic.twitter.com/PiwbX0NWEY
— Suraj Kumar Singh, IFS (@SurajIFS) August 31, 2023
