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| On brothers’ day, sisters offer the most | | | MUNISH GUPTA
JAMMU, Oct 30: In a unique reflection of rich and vivid Indian culture, sisters showed their love and affection for brothers by applying tilak on their foreheads on the occasion of Bhai Dooj today.
Celebrations started early in the morning with sisters holding plates full of sweets, besides incense sticks and material required for pooja, applied tilak on the forehead of their brothers.
Those who had their sisters staying away from the city completed the ritual themselves with the tilak they received by post.
Cousins filled the space of real brothers, or those who did not have any brother. After applying the tilak of affection, they waited patiently for their brothers to give the gifts of love.
Brothers preferred giving gifts instead of money in a large number of cases,” said computer engineer-cum-brother of one Nitin Mahajan. “Elegant and impressive boxes of chocolates were given. Cakes too were presented. Rich and famous, on the other hand, presented gold and diamond earrings to their sisters”.
Bhai Dooj, also known as Bhai Dooj Tikka Festival is one of the very important Indian festival and is celebrated with lot of joy and enthusiasm. Just as Diwali passes there begins an eager wait for Bhai Dooj celebration. Brothers and sisters shop for traditional Indian Mithais and special gifts for their siblings. Sisters also prepare special Pooja Thali to carry out Bhaidooj ceremony. Brothers bless their sisters and give them cash or Bhai Dooj Gifts.
Bhai Dooj is usually celebrated a day after the festival of Diwali. So, the Bhai Dooj Date can be calculated as the second day after diwali. On the day of Bhai Dooj Festival, sisters wake up early and prepare delicious festive food for their dear brother. As a custom, usually brothers' make a visit to their sister's place. Sisters' make their brother sit on an asana to carry out the ceremony. Sisters then applies tika and akshat on brother’s forehead and perform arti of him. She also give puts a sweet in brother's mouth and pamper him with gifts. Carrying out this simple ceremony sisters pray to the divine for the long life, health and happiness of her brother. Reciprocating the loving gesture, brother blesses his sister and indulges her with cash or delightful Bhai Dooj Gifts. Following this the family shares a happy time and relish the Bhai Dooj special food. These days’ brothers and sisters move out in the evening and recollect happy moments shared in the past.
But with the declining sex ratio, the number of girls has drastically come down in comparison to the boys, leaving hundreds of brothers without sisters. And for such brothers there is no Bhai Dooj.
There may be thousands of homes with more than one boy, but there are very few with more than one daughter. Even among the “elite, genteel and affluent”, the aversion for the girls remains as deep rooted as among the economically and socially lower classes.
Raj Kumar a businessman said that “I am having two grown-up sons. My wife still feels that it would be better if family had at least one daughter. My sons know the importance of these festivals but I feel that they could understand everything naturally if they had their own sister. Rakhi, Bhai Dooj lose their charm in absence of a daughter”, he said.
Radhika, a homemaker having two sons, said it was not always possible for cousins to reach out to them on every occasion as one of them stays in Delhi. They send their teeka by courier. “Everyone is busy these days and the festivals are losing the sheen. But I think, things would have been quite different if they had a sister. Perhaps they would never miss to visit her on such occasions”, said Radhika
Manav, the only son in his family feels, “I would be more responsible if I had a sister. Though, my mother does all the formalities but I think, she can not take that position. A sister is a must in every home”. |
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