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The festival of Raksha Bandhan
The festival of Raksha Bandhan is dedicated to the love and affection shared between a brother and a sister.
This year Raksha Bandhan is on Wednesday, the August 5, 2009 which falls on the full moon day in the Hindu month of
Shravan, On this day, the sister ties a decorative threads
or rakhi on the wrist of her brother, with this the brother promises to protect his sister from harm. In return, the sister prays for the well-being of her brother.
Rakhis ranging from Rs.5 to Rs 1,500, in various new patterns have hit the
shelves of the market. Rakhis with images of gods and goddesses are being seen for the first time. 'Made in China' rakhis also available in the market with
satin threads, they have small toys, dolls and flowers pasted on them. |
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Risks of the new rakhis
But most people preparing to celebrate
Raksha-bandhan on August 5 seem unaware of the possible risks of the new rakhis with the ‘Made in China’ tag which have become an instant hit.
Unlike the string-and-bead Indian rakhis, these have figurines of characters like Pokeman and Hanuman on satin bands, and cost anywhere between Rs20 and Rs450. The figurines can be reused as toys or stick-ons.
It’s the bright colours on these figurines which are a cause of concern because millions of
Chinese-made toys have been withdrawn from markets in the US and Europe after they were found to contain lead-based paint that can harm a child if ingested. |
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Abhay Kumar, a scntist with Toxics Links, the
Mumbai-based NGO which tested the Chinese toys to confirm their lead content, says the colours and PVC material used in the rakhis are similar to those of the toys. “The brighter the
rakhi, the more dangerous it is. And, unlike toys, the rakhis are unbranded - so the risk is greater.”
Nobody in India is talking about the quatily of toys or other items made in India and their lead content. America has very strict safety
laws regrding childre's toys and these laws are very widely inplemented and respected. They have set their house in order a long time back and therefore they are aghast at their importers not being able to keep these standards.
Virtual rakhis using Internet
With today’s changing lifestyles and increasing
distances between sisters and brothers, the internet can play a vital role in diminishing physical distance and bring
them closer. If Brother is USA and sister in India then she mail a rakhi to
her brother and can make it a point to celebrate the day by video chatting and sharing the virtual gifts through
Twitters. Apt rakhi cards, virtual rakhis and E-mails, leaving Rakhi wishes on each other’s Orkut and Facebook profiles are increasingly becoming popular.
New approach to celebrate Rakhi festival
Find out that thing or gift that pleases
your sister. You can to help her fulfill her dream, by giving her something in which you have put your heart into. You can gift her
the items related to her hobby. You can pay a surprise visit to her. There is nothing like surprising your sister with an impromptu
visit to make them feel special and show them how much you care.
Mamata to launch two ladies special trains on Aug 5
Dubbed as a Rakhi gift on Raksha Bandhan day to women, Banerjee will flag off
Delhi-Palwal and Mumbai- Panvel ladies special trains catering to the needs of
rising number of women office goers. Both the trains will be flagged off simultaneously by the minister from here
through a remote control system. The Mumbai launching would be shown live on a
large screen at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus station there.There will be eight new type coaches in the EMU ladies special train, Northern
Railway General Manager Vivek Sahai said.Keeping the safety and security of women travellers in mind, Sahai said women
RPF personnel and lady TTEs would be deployed in the ladies special
Himachal women tie rakhis to protect trees
Renuka (IANS): The Rakhi festival has turned into a rallying point for hundreds of village women near here as
they pledge to protect their 'brother' trees that will be drowned by the Renuka hydroelectric project. Women from
villages near this town in Himachal Pradesh's Sirmaur district are tying rakhis -- a sacred thread symbolising the
brother-sister bond -- on the trees as the dam aimed at providing drinking water to New Delhi will inundate them.
"It's a noble way to draw the attention of dam authorities to the voluminous damage to biodiversity in the area with its construction," said Rukhmani Devi of Mohtu village, situated on the banks of the Giri river.
Raksha Bandhan day to promote environmental awareness
In a novel way to promote environmental awareness on the occasion of Raksha
Bandhan, a Lucknow zoo Wednesday asked its visitors to tie a rakhi around a tree and take an oath to protect the green cover in their vicinity. As many as 1,001 colourful rakhis were put on display at the entrance to the zoo, from where the visitors had to select one and tie it around a tree on the premises of the zoological gardens. |
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