Raksha bandhan is a popular Hindu festival celebrated on a full moon day celebrating the bond between the siblings. Its an ancient tradition of honoring the relationship between brother and sister as sister ties a sacred thread around her brother’s wrist.

Did you celebrate Raksha Bandhan this year?I have celebrated this festival since forever and now that I have two girl how can I not have them celebrate this one?

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This post cannot be complete without a mention about my brother Aditya after all I am talking about the sibling bond.

Aditya, my older brother and I are 4 years apart,we are your typical brother sister duo.As kids we fought,made up,stood up for each other,told on each other,kept secrets for each other and blackmailed each other as it suited our needs 😂.

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Aditya has always been the intelligent kid of the family.It never helped that he breezed through his exams effortlessly while I always had to put in extra effort to just get a decent score.

Mom always tells us how she would have to put in a special request when little Aditya got an invite for a birthday party because I refused to leave his side,I was his plus one in most parties till he finally rebelled 😆.

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He always bore the brunt of the scoldings protecting his innocent little sister until the sister was no longer that innocent😁.

Our childhood was fun.We were travelling all over coastal India Cochin,Bombay,Okha (Gujarat),Port Blair and then Bombay again.Some of my best memories of us are from Bombay,we had some good fun there.

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Navy Nagar in Colaba Mumbai will always hold a special place in my heart.I remember the time during his 10th grade board preparations ,when I would sneak into his room to catch him reading his comic books hidden between his maths workbook 😂 .Boy the riot that ensued after that will make an post in itself 🤣

Of course he hated me for it but back then I thought I was doing a great service for mom and dad 😛.

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As he grew taller and stronger,our pillow fights turned into fist fights and then came a time when he was specifically told to refrain from any physical fights with me!

We got innovative with our fights.After getting his goat for nth time I would just run and hide in my bathroom.But that never deterred him from getting back at me.

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He would just wait patiently for me outside to make my move,it was a game of wait and watch 😂!Sometimes he would just switch off the lights and try and scare me into coming out by narrating horror scenes from movies like Evil Dead or our Indian series Zee Horror show LOL!!

Once we continued this saga for 3 hours and by the time we realized it was too late,mom was back home.Boy were we in trouble then🤣. After that we tried to keep our fights short!!😂

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By the end of my 12th grade he was already on his way out with his new found freedom.He got busy with work and I with college.

We never discussed college gossip or crushes as I was growing up,we didn’t share that kind of rapport probably also because we had no mobiles back then to just call and talk.But if ever needed him he was there,Always!!

I had Renuka for that kind of gossip😂.

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While he was in India he came home for festivals and holidays and always Raksha Bandhan.But once he moved countries,Raksha Bandhan became a phone call ritual and tying rakhi virtually.

Fun fact,when I met S and I had to break the news to my parents,I made one call to Japan. He took care of the rest.

We are family and that means whenever the need arises we are there for each other.We rely on each other.We look out for each other.We trust each other.In my most difficult time,he has been there for me holding my hand guiding me.

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Interesting fact,we both have hardly ever been in the same city at the same time for more than a month ever since I graduated.

I moved to Bangalore for work and within a month he was off to Japan,After 10 years I moved to USA and my brother was already moving back to Japan from here.When I decided to visit them in Japan,pandemic hit us all.After years he has moved back to India and here I am! 😏.

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I’ll have to raid my dad’s albums to get all our childhood photos. It’s quite sad that I couldn’t find recent photos of just him and I!Already added to my must-do when in Belgaum.

I admire that Aditya always made it a point to meet as many cousins,aunts,uncles whenever he travelled to India.However short his visit was,he made time in each one of his visit to call or meet up with extended family.Oh,we are one big extended family on my mom’s side!

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Coming back to the festival of Raksha Bandhan,until you are all grown up this tradition really is about the gifts that you get at the end of the ceremony😜. Oh! Don’t even festival shame me,I am pretty sure it was same for most of you😂.

I earned quite a bit in the month of August after we moved to Belgaum,most of my first cousins were studying there.So you can imagine my cash flow quadrupled 🤣.

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By the time you actually start valuing the true meaning of this one festival,it’s kind of late.You and your siblings have left the nest for the new opportunities,for the new life.

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In 2018 after ages Aditya and I were in Belgaum at the same time as Raksha Bandhan .Boy o Boy did I earn myself some serious money that day or what😂.

Now, S’s family celebrates it in the most elaborate way. Diyva, my sister-in-law would fast the whole day till she tied rakhi to S and I.She stopped only because we moved countries.But if she had a choice she totally would do it even today!

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Till date we get our rakhi’s well in time for Raksha Bandhan every year from Divya.

After V and N celebrated their first rakhi with their first cousin in 2018,I tweaked the tradition to suit our nuclear family.Now,instead of just a brother-sister bond,I have my girls tie rakhi to each other.It’s all in the spirit of the festival.

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Do they know why we celebrate?Well,as always I tell them the story behind it but more often than not I remind them it’s about standing up for each other physically and emotionally and like all those international days it’s one of those Hindu festivals where we celebrate the bond of love between siblings.

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I keep it low key,a simple ritual of tying rakhi and then wishing each other happy Raksha Bandhan and call our respective siblings.I usually prepare puri aloo sometimes it’s just kheer but we do dress up and smile for the camera.

Of course,the love and hugs last only for 10 minutes 😂,nonetheless I think it’s adorable to see my girls tie each other rakhi’s.Well that’s how we celebrate Raksha Bandhan.How did you celebrate yours?

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Before I go here is a quote for you…

“A sibling is a lens through which you see your childhood”~Ann Hood