Raksha Bandhan, the most popular festival in India, is not a ritualistic celebration, but a genuine gesture towards the divine aspect of protection and love. Born from the ancient Indian ethos of civilization, the rakhi is a simple thread, but one imbued with generations of emotion, culture, and faith. Celebrated in homes and hearts with uninhibited abandon, Raksha Bandhan has developed over centuries with new meanings while retaining its timelessness. Now, outside its historical context, it finds a profound expression in the mountains of Kashmir, a place equally renowned for its beauty and grit.

The history of Raksha Bandhan traces its roots to both mythology and history. In the Vedic texts, Indrani tied a sacred thread around Lord Indra’s wrist before the battle, seeking divine protection. Draupadi cut her sari to bind Lord Krishna's wrist during the Mahabharata. Inspired by her action, he promised to safeguard her for all eternity. According to another myth, the river Yamuna bound a rakhi to her brother Yama, the god of death, and he gave her immortality in return. The myths suggest that binding a rakhi is not merely a ritual, but a promise of emotional security and protection.
History is a tribute to this practice as well. In the 16th century, the Rani of Mewar, Karnavati, had sent a rakhi to Mughal Emperor Humayun, requesting his assistance during war. Moved by her faith, he extended his assistance. The tale shows how Raksha Bandhan, even amidst war, had turned into a symbol of diplomacy, respect for one another, and humanity.
In contemporary India, Raksha Bandhan is celebrated with festive enthusiasm. Sisters from all over India put on festive rakhis on the wrists of their brothers, hoping for their prosperity and good fortune. Brothers, on the other hand, present them with gifts and vow to protect their sisters. The day is spent in celebration, family get-togethers, sweet moments, and emotional bonding. But most importantly, Raksha Bandhan is a festival that inculcates in us the greater values of Indian society of being strong in unity, of choosing empathy over ego, and of translating love into action.
Most importantly, the emotional richness of the festival is not just reserved for biological siblings. Throughout the nation, individuals have extended this holy thread beyond the confines of blood relations. Between neighbours, schoolteachers, and even strangers, the rakhis have tied them together as symbols of love and emotional attachment. Such generosity is an expression of a very Indian philosophy that love bonds can be formed outside blood, and once exchanged, trust can be an enduring relationship.
This ethos gets a particularly poignant voice in Kashmir Valley, where the symbolism of Raksha Bandhan has acquired even greater significance. In Central Kashmir, South Kashmir, and North Kashmir, where soldiers are deployed to maintain peace in frequently challenging situations, the ceremony of tying a rakhi has become a powerful bond between natives and soldiers. Women, children, especially during festivals, tie rakhis on jawans, offering them sweets, blessings, and smiles. For soldiers miles away from home, frequently deployed in challenging terrains, these moments provide them not only emotional comfort but also a sense of belongingness and moral strength.
These acts of solidarity are not novel. Even in the 1999 Kargil War, women and children throughout India sent rakhis to border soldiers. A number of jawans had those holy strings wrapped around their wrists and went to battle, believing the blessings that went through the rakhi would act as their shield. Even amidst the challenges of conflict and the specter of fear, these small strips of cloth were emotional armor, a reminder to the warriors that the country was with them with hope, prayer, and love.
Teenage girls from remote villages of Kashmir walk miles to army forward posts and camps and fasten rakhis on the wrists of soldiers at high altitudes. In some cases, these are accompanied by written messages, home-made sweets, and good wishes. The jawans, recalling their own sisters at home, speak about the emotional strength of these rakhis. Such friendships formed in a moment of fleeting encounter have far-reaching effects on both sides between custodians and the protected.
The message of the festival is also reaffirmed when it transcends religious lines. Muslim women across much of Kashmir have placed rakhis on Sikh and Hindu soldiers, showing that the spirit of Raksha Bandhan is bigger than that of a single religion. "You protect us like brothers today, we are your sisters too," one woman told them. In a region of the world where tales of disintegration appear to dominate the headlines, these tiny but potent moments humbly restore faith and affirm trust in humanity.
Kids have also contributed their special part in building these bonds. School kids from the valley have been sending handmade greeting cards and rakhis to CRPF and Army jawans. These are inscribed with messages like "You are our heroes" and "Stay safe" in pure innocence. These are carried by soldiers within their uniform or wallet, not as mementos, but as emotional triggers during high-stress operations.
Even on the world's most difficult battlefield, the Siachen Glacier, the spirit of Raksha Bandhan prevails. The temperature is –40°C, and the landscape is one of the most difficult on the planet. The jawans who are facing snow, solitude, and life-threatening danger, a rakhi from the plains is a precious but welcome symbol of bonding, that even here, at the edge of the world, someone is thinking of them, praying for them, and binding them into the web of India's heart.
All these tales, taken together, convey a rich message of meaning not just for India, but for the world. It is India's emotional language of peace, faith, and affection. While war and polarization define global discourse today, India offers this sacred thread in silence as a worldwide symbol: protection does not come solely with violence, but with empathy; love can be a shield; and human beings can thrive when bonds are infused with compassion.
In Kashmir, a land so often viewed in the light of conflict, Raksha Bandhan is a silent revolution where every rakhi is a peace gesture, and every blessing a step towards healing. It is in these small, ordinary gestures a thread around the wrist, a mithai in the hand, a smile on the face, that the most profound changes occur.
Since Raksha Bandhan is being celebrated in India this year, let it not be forgotten, not merely as a family festival, but as a national message. A message which demonstrates that unity is no dream, that emotional strength is no myth, and that the threads of love that we choose to bind can outlast the chains of war. In the quiet of a soldier's outpost, or the warmth of a village hut, Raksha Bandhan continues to affirm the best of India, a land where the humble thread can carry the burden of a vow, and where the vow continues to hold good.

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