Rakhi: The Thread That Binds

As many South Asian households have recently celebrated Rakhi with the same enthusiasm and vigor as they do every year, it is important to stop and examine the significance of this age old tradition. Rakhi, or Raksha Bandhan, is a festival that transgresses boundaries, as it is celebrated by the South Asian disapora all over the world. In our own backyard, Main Street is adorned with tables and tables of Rakhis each year for women to claim for the auspicious day. What is the purpose of this tradition and how do ideas ingrained with South Asian gender norms and expectations translate in the West? More specifically, how do we take a tradition that is so deeply entrenched in a time and place and practice it in a place half way across the world and a time that is constantly changing?

Rakhi has been practiced for centuries. Historically, by tying the Rakhi, the brother is making a commitment to protect his sister(s) in any and all situations. The symbolic significance of Rakhi is commendable and accurately reflects ideas about gender in traditional and modern South Asian societies. The survival of this tradition is amazing; after many centuries and many migrations, people are still carrying on with it year after year. It goes to show just how important our communities’ commitment to familial ties and gender relations is.

I’m sure a lot of us have seen siblings practicing this tradition. The sister ties the Rakhi on her brother. The brother gives her a gift to show to her his appreciation and love. This picture perfect scene is reminiscent of many that can be seen on a regular basis in numerous Bollywood flicks.

The festival of Rakhi, moreover, holds a special place in the hearts of siblings who are separated by great distances. This is the one day that these siblings do not forget. Brothers and sisters who might forget birthdays and other special occasions, seldom overlook the festival of Rakhi. Thus, Rakhi helps promote much needed family solidarity and togetherness. It gives people a reason to take time out of their busy schedules to remember those who are or were close to them in their childhood years. It is hard to pinpoint a Western tradition that evokes the same kinds of emotions between brothers and sisters, and forces us to stop in our tracks and recognize the importance of family. Though this description invokes heart-warming thoughts, there are several issues that deserve some consideration. Living in a Western country, one can’t help but wonder if Rakhi still holds merit in today’s society.

This inquiry is not meant to tarnish what Rakhi stands for. Rather, the culture in which we live today itself has to a great degree reduced its meaning. In reality, what many young people primarily see in the picture perfect scene described above is the gift. I’ve personally heard many people talking about the excitement that they feel about the upcoming Rakhi. The excitement, however, is not about the symbolic meanings, but rather it’s about how much money they’ll make on the given day. Hence, the purpose of Rakhi has melted into the background and has instead been replaced by dollar signs. Not unlike Christmas, the historical significance and purpose of Rakhi is cast aside, while demand grows more and more extravagant each year.

In addition to the materialism that has crept into the festival of Rakhi, perhaps the more pertinent issue here is of the place that Rakhi has in Western culture. How do such strong South Asian ideas about gender fit in with Western ones? Women have fought for years to gain equality in a male dominated world. This fight, although still an uphill battle, has been successful to a great extent. Women have achieved great things, yet these women continue to ask for protection from their brothers year after year by the tying of a Rakhi. Why would intelligent, independent women need the protection of anyone? Is this not contrary to what the fight for equality stands for? If one was to talk with these successful women on any given day of the year, many of them would deny the need for protection by anyone. Nevertheless, this is arguably what the tying of the Rakhi symbolizes. Why would anyone want to sacrifice all that women have fought for by asking, whether directly or indirectly, for protection from the evils of the world? Though it can be said that tradition and modernity both have their place in our lives, the fight for equality is still ongoing. Thus, it feels hypocritical to be an activist of women’s rights and at the same time uphold this tradition, one that for the most part, has lost its original meaning.

The argument surrounding equality can be taken even further. Rakhi is a festival that celebrates the male siblings in every family. But what about the female members? Young girls aren’t celebrated for being good siblings. Therein lies the gap in logic. Living in the West, most families also celebrate Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. Rakhi can be extrapolated to be “Brother’s Day”. Hence, every member of the family is celebrated except for young women. This promotes, no matter how subtly, gender segregation. Our culture is littered with abundant examples of sexism, a lot of which are represented and propagated through traditions.

Furthermore, it is quite unfortunate that a family consisting only of female children would have no official celebration of their kinship. It is very disheartening for a young girl to have to listen to her friends talk about Rakhi and have nothing to say in return. And again, subtly but surely, this causes children to feel incomplete because they do not have a brother in the family. In actuality, there is nothing wrong with not having a male sibling! However, Rakhi is only representative of those families who have both genders in the family.

The purpose of Rakhi is mainly to promote a loving relationship between siblings. Unfortunately, Rakhi only recognizes the relationship between a brother and a sister. The bond between two sisters or two brothers is also one that deserves recognition.

Having considered all these issues, there can be an argument made that supports either side of the debate. In regards to the traditional aspect, Rakhi holds great significance and provides the opportunity for brothers and sisters to further strengthen their relationships. On the other hand, Rakhi can be interpreted as not coinciding with modern, Western values.

Culture is not static, it changes with time. Rakhi is an excellent example of an important cultural tradition that is in need of deep reconsideration and then some possible modifications. Culture does not belong to a time and a place, and if we as a community see the value in celebrating the ancient South Asian tradition of Rakhi, then we should make it meaningful within our own contexts. In many ways, Rakhi does have a place in society, as long as we are not afraid of change, to create new traditions based on old ones.