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| Rakhi –emerging as beautiful as bond is | | | Munish Gupta
Jammu | Aug 19: The Valentine culture might have taken over the metropolitan life, but in the City of Temples, the Rakhi –a pious thread of faith –is emerging as beautiful as the bond it represents.
With just few days left for festival of Raksha Bandhan, a day symbolising the strong bond between a brother and sister, the city markets are seen flooded with a wide variety of rakhis. Women dressed in their best attire can be seen buying rakhis with great excitement.
In fact, the festival has become a day to be cherished all the more as the modern world has given a new concept to it altogether with a great variety of rakhis as well as the return gifts being sold in the market. Call it commercialization or the spirit of the festival-loving Indians who do not want to miss a chance to enjoy the festival spirit.
The markets are flooded with rakhis in their new avatar. The rakhis neatly packed in coloured paper all packed in gold brocade pouch depict the latest trend of rakhis. These are finding a great favour with sisters. Rakhis with semi-precious stone, gold plated Lakshmi and Ganesh coins, and silver rakhis designed like bracelets are also selling well.
The rakhis studded with American diamonds are liked by the sisters for their brothers who like flashy rakhis. Priya said, "For my elder married brother, I will buy a sober rakhi, a 'dori' strung with sandalwood beads and for my younger brother, I will buy a rakhi with a Batman. He is going to love it as he is an ardent collector of Batmans."
Sonia and her friends said," The sheer variety of rakhis have flummoxed us.
There is a lot more variety than last year. The price range also is very wide. For our innumerable cousins, we are buying 'dori' rakhis with stones, rather inexpensive, and for our real brothers, we are buying silver bracelets. Though it is expensive, but they can wear it all the time."
According to Vijay Kumar, a shokeeper in Paccadanga, the trend of rakhis has changed dramatically this year. He said, "Earlier the rakhis came in silk and ribbon, had flowers in 'zari' and foam and were big in size. But now the customers are following the line of 'small is beautiful".
The rakhis are in a form of thin, sleek 'dori' with stones strung in it. The children never had it so good. The little boys can wear rakhis with 'teddy bears', racing cars, and cult figures like Robin, Spiderman. The manufacturers have really felt the pulse of the customers.
Cards for rakhi are also in vogue. As the sisters and brothers in this era have little time to write letters to each other the cards serve the purpose. In some cards there are rakhis tied with fancy items pasted on them. Even the jewellers dealing in silver are doing good business as many people have opted for silver rakhis.
On the pious day of rakhi consumption of sweets is the most. There are gift packs of chocolates and other sweets available at the shops. Talking to shopkeepers revealed that nowadays the people prefer to buy small sized rakhis or attractive threads .The big sponge rakhis are seen displayed only in the colonies.
The wholesale markets of Pacca Danga, Fattu Choughan and old city have the biggest stockists of rakhis of the town.
They feel though the designs and variety in rakhis are mind boggling, the sale is reduced due to a general slump in the market.
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