Here it is... in prose

Hello there!

Well, I guess someone out there will be glad to see this prose blog. My blog has had nothing but poems till now. To confess the truth, the reason I began a blog in the first place was to have an outlet to post my poems on. But now, with a lot of views to express and share, I am beginning to see the brighter side of writing a blog. So here goes nothing...

The festival of brotherhood.
I couldn't think of a better way to introduce it. You don't tie rakhis to sisters so I can hardly call it the festival of sisterhood. Rakhi or Rakshabandhan, call it whichever way you want to address it. This festival is something that arouses a feeling of some sort within all the young people, whether they are from school, college or even working in offices. Radio stations, fancy stores, big departmental stores, even banks cash in on this festival craze. (Not that Banks need a festival as a reason to cash in on something. ;)) Rakhi is percieved with mixed feelings that cover a wide range from that of euphoric delight to ahem... disgust and a feeling of being trapped like a bird in a cage. Time to take a look at it from the point of view of both the genders.

The male gender:
The male gender, or most of it, leans towards the latter view stated above. School boys and most college boys spend the day in dread of having the girl they fancy as their future life partner tying a rakhi to them. This is not to say that this is a universal view point. If you are lucky, you might find a boy/young man who is actually glad to have a classmate/friend tie a rakhi to him. Most boys prefer to spend the day indoors away from danger, or so they comfort themselves not being aware of the persistence and perseverance of the other gender. Other boys consider it a honour to have a girl tie a rakhi to them and treasure the relation like the gift of a lifetime. There is a third category that treats rakhi like any other festival. To them, the thread has no special significance and they treat it with an indifference that suggests that they allow the girl to tie the rakhi to humour her and stay out of trouble. One would almost think that they were recieving protection without paying for it too!

Ok... I can see a lot of raised eyebrows and before I ruffle any smooth feathers, I will move on to the other gender which I might add is not entirely blameless.

The female gender:
This devious gender has its own reason for pursuing the practice of tying a rakhi with the utmost sincerity (?)
It's not just a boy who is scared that his lady love to be might tie a rakhi to him. For most girls, Rakhi is that one time of the year when they can send out clear signals to the other sex - "this is your position in my life and don't you entertain any hopes/wishes of moving beyond that!" A strong way to send out a strong message. After all, no boy could mistake the meaning of a rakhi, no matter how simple it may look. There are other girls who tie it to boys out of sincere affection and a wish to acquire a sibling that life may otherwise not grant them. Of course, distinguishing between the two kinds is not an easy task. Wait a sec... The third category exists here too. This is the category that considers itself above such simple rituals and festivals and would rather use words as the sticks and stones that achieve its task.

Now that I have pulled enough legs and ruffled enough feathers to cover a 70mm screen, let's take a serious look at what began as a festival for sisters and brothers to reaffirm their sibling bond. The rakhi symbolises the sister's wish for her brother's safety and happiness and the brother's promise to protect his sister from all harm and ensure her happiness above all else. Though initially, it was restricted to brothers and sisters already bound by the relation of blood, it slowly extended to include those who were brothers without having been born into the same family. It's a sweet festival that lets you experience the joy/irritation of having a huge group of siblings without being born into a large family. A nice way to experience your privacy and yet have a huge team to support you and cheer you on when you feel low. But, as with other festivals, it seems to have lost its symbolism in today's fast paced world. Yet, before I bring this blog to an end, I have a simple question: Does it really require a rakhi to declare your affection for your brother who may have already displayed his affection and care for you? And is it really wrong to tie a rakhi to a friend whom you may regard as more than a friend?

Happy thinking!

P.S: I did it again. I said one question and asked two. Oh well! Its the festive season. Ask for one and you'll get two. :-)