Mumbai Celebrates Rakshabandhan With Auto Driver, Slum Children And Women From Marginalised Communities

A festival cherishing the bond between a brother and sister, Rakshabandhan, was celebrated across the country on Saturday. Through various initiatives, Mumbaikars celebrated the sacred relation of siblings

Rakshabandhan, which literally means a bond of protection, is a traditional festival celebrated by Hindus in reverence of the special bond between a brother and sister. It is celebrated on the purnima of Shravana month in the Hindu lunar calendar. As a ritual, sisters tie rakhi, a sacred thread, on the wrists of their brothers as a symbolic wish for their safety and in return the brother promises to protect her from any endangerment. With passing time, the sacred thread has also evolved with new designs available for people according their choice.

Rakshabandhan is not only celebrated by people who share the pious relation of brother and sister by blood but by those who share the relocation from heart. The celebration which was earlier only restricted within a family has now become a social celebration with many organisations hosting celebration to encourage a similar bond among their members. Many people celebrate this festival with the police and military personnel as a gesture to protect them, who protect them throughout the year through their professional duty.

Andheri Auto Driver’s Independence Gifted on Rakshabandhan

In a similar instance, a Rakshabandhan celebration on the streets of Andheri (W)’s Lokhandwala touched hearts of everyone as a philanthropist gifted a new auto rickshaw to a female driver, who had been driving a rented auto to support her cancer-stricken husband and two young daughters. Dr Aneel Kashi Murarka surprised Sarika Mestry with an auto rickshaw of her very own near the very streets where she has been driving for the past 4.5 months.

Getting a rakhi tied from Mestry, Dr Muraka said, “Sarika reminded me of what true grit looks like. I didn’t want her to keep paying forward endlessly. I want her to keep every rupee she earns… for her home, for her children, for herself. The greatest joy in life for anyone is to be independent and I wanted to gift her precisely that.”

Slum Children Celebrate Unity Beyond Religion

Exemplifying a celebration filled with communal harmony, Jogesdhvari-based Sona Sarovar Trust hosted a celebration for slum children from different religions. The kids celebrated the sacred festival in a humble classroom of the NGO with handmade rakhis and beaming smiles, tying threads of love, unity and hope.

“Rambo is a thread that carries love across all distances, religion, caste and creed. We have children from Hindu and Muslim families and we teach our children to love peacefully by celebrating festivals of both the religions,” said Soma Kumar, managing trustee of the organisation.

Extending Bonds to Marginalised Women

A unique Rakshabandhan celebration was witnessed in Byculla as people celebrated the festival with our poor, deprived & neglected female sex workers. The event organised by Social Activities Integration (SAI), aimed to strengthen their long and strong brother-sister relationship. Sex workers, most of them from the red light area of Kamathipura, gathered at the NGO’s office to celebrate the festival.

Festival Symbolises Love and Protection Across Communities

Although a lot of people celebrate the ritual of tying rakhi according to auspicious time but astrologers suggest that since Rakshabandhan is a positive festival which celebrates the relation of love share by a brother and sister, the entire day is believed to be auspicious for the celebration.

Published on: Saturday, August 09, 2025, 10:23 PM IST