With rakshabandhan just around the corner, sister are already prepping for ‘Quarantine Raksha Bandhan 2020.’ The sacred thread which we are continuing to tie on our brothers’ wrists as a promise by them to keep us sisters safe, has undergone innovation yet again.
Online shopping websites and social media are overloaded with rakhis that carry messages such as ‘Stay Safe Bhai’. Noida-based Shramita Govin, who is also engaged in promoting such rakhis as part of her collection, says, “People are finding the rakhi with theme of ‘Stay Safe Bhai’ interesting, and ordering it like anything. Raksha Bandhan will be different this year and girls want the festival to be sweet yet relevant for their families. Online kaafi queries aa rahi hain… And one rakhi is for ₹150 plus shipping charges. In addition, people are also ordering for Nutella themed rakhi; I believe that’s because people have consumed so much of it during the lockdown.”
“This year is different since many won’t be able to celebrate rakhi in the physical presence of their siblings. That’s why this year our effort is to make the occasion memorable and enjoyable while keeping social distancing norms in the picture. Therefore, we have designed rakhis with tag lines of Quarantine Bro and Stay At Home,” says Shuchi Pandya, founder, Pipa.Bella. She adds that in view of the pandemic, “Our endeavour is that even though some siblings may not be able to celebrate together, we can help to keep their bond alive through some humour, quirk, and witty memorabilia. In addition, we have also launched the Hipster Bro and Headphone Bhai rakhis, which double up as bottle openers!”
Sisters are also planning to relive their lockdown memories on this Raksha Bandhan. If your brother got lost in playing the Ludo King till early hours of dawn, there’s an appropriate rakhi for you, too. Jaishika Dhanetwal, owner of Ahmedabad-based brand Festival Mall, is selling rakhis themes on Ludo, priced at ₹80. “There is a lot of craze for this rakhi. I’ve over 100 plus designs in conceptual rakhis and Ludo King is one of the hot favourites. Maximum people were connected and entertained themselves during the lockdown through Ludo. So we conceptualised this rakhi design to help them make new memories of their time spent in quarantine!”
