Long distance ties

Shares Pallavi Kapoor,who works with a bank,”My brother has been in Bengaluru for two years now and I have another cousin who lives in Hyderabad. So the meaning of Rakshabandhan is lost for me. I’m always busy with work,so I ask Mom to buy the rakhis and post them. Last year,I wrote a letter to both of them,but this year I’m just going to talk to them on the phone and wish them a Happy Rakhi! Plus,since they’re not around to protect me,what’s the whole point of celebrating the festival? It would make more sense if they were in the same city.”

Echoing the same sentiment,a lot of youngsters feel that though the festival has crossed boundaries of religion,caste and race,it seems to be facing a major ‘distance’ barrier. Akash Sinha,whose family is in Jaipur,says,”I think it’s not just Rakshabandhan that has been affected. Once you start living alone,one tends to lose out on so much of good family time that these festivities no longer have the same effect on you. How do you celebrate it alone? My sister sends me a rakhi,but someone else ties it for me and well,it doesn’t feel the same as when she ties it herself.”

According to a recent online research,while the Internet helps people keep in touch with others,it has diluted the emotional connection between them. Says Dhruv Mehta,”People have stopped taking that extra effort to keep a relationship alive. My sister,for instance,has been sending me an e-rakhi for two years now! She feels it’s much more cooler. I quite dislike the whole idea,but she says she can’t tie it for me herself so what’s the point of posting it?”

There are some who look at the positive side of this long distance issue. Greeshma Gupta,who is a professional dancer,feels that though she and her brother have different lives today,the festival of Rakshabandhan serves as an excellent occasion to catch up with each other. She shares,”He pampers me so much on this day. It’s the one day when we leave everything and give each other top priority. After all,Rakshabandhan is about savouring your relationships.”

And there are a whole lot of people who quite agree with Gupta. Transcending boundaries,Kapila Kasliwal from Illinois Chicago sends rakhi and sweets to her younger brother in India every year without fail. She shares,“ If not on this day,then when? I know that both of us are special to each other but this festival ensures that we tell it out. And for me where distance is so overwhlemingly large,these festivals bind me all the more to my family back home.”