During the past eight or nine years, on each successive journey to India, I am blessed to have my "little sisters" tie red threads around my right wrist. Many of the threads which remain on my wrist have been there since 2003! Often, people ask me the meaning of the red threads, so I would like to share with you what I have learned about Raksha Bandhan or Rakhi. Although there is a celebration of Rakhi in India, generally in August, the tradition of acknowledging the bond between a brother and sister (familial or symbolic) remains strong.
Raksha Bandhan
Raksha Bandhan is a very special tradition in India. It is the celebration of the special bond between a brother and a sister. Sisters tie a band of red thread around their brothers’ wrists as a sign of affection. Legend tells of the sister asking that the blessings of God be showered on her brother throughout the year. By extending his wrist forward so his sister can tie the threads around it, the brother is symbolically extending his hand of protection over her.
Early in January 2003, I had the honor and privilege of leading a Rotary International Group Study Exchange (G.S.E.) Team to India, for a cultural and vocational exchange. The team was to remain in India for a period of six weeks, living in various homes and sharing their vocations with others in like professions in India. By living and eating within this culture for that period of time, we all had numerous experiences that would color our lives for years to come. One of the most touching experiences occurred when we traveled outside of the city of New Delhi and on to Ghaziabad. We were to remain in Ghaziabad for several days. When we arrived, we were welcomed at a Rotary-supported clinic, where screening was taking place for polio. One of the activities for which Rotary International is so well known is the pledge in 1986 to rid the world of polio by the year 2005, Rotary’s 100th anniversary. We were driven to the clinic and when we entered the courtyard of the school, all those present were on their feet, applauding our arrival. We were then presented with many garlands of white marigolds and red roses. We had yellow and red tikas applied to our foreheads and rose petals were sprinkled over our heads. The final portion of the welcoming ceremony came when young girls tied red strings around the right wrists of the men in the group. The symbolism of this gesture has been one that has lasted since that time.
One of the young girls told me of the mythological origins of Raksha Bandhan – or rakhi. She told me there was once a young queen in India, who ruled over many territories. Her enemies were attacking her lands on several flanks. She sent couriers to each of her older brothers, each bearing a simple red string. The brothers received the message and each of them stopped what they were doing and came to her rescue, defeating her enemies.
In 2004, again while traveling in India, leading a group of Rotarians and Friends of Rotary to participate in a National Immunization Day against polio, I mentioned this tradition of Raksha Bandhan to the wife of a friend. She gathered that I had been quite moved by the symbolism of the ceremony in Ghaziabad, and the following day (my daughter’s birthday) this Indian woman came to the home where I was staying and tied the red threads around my right wrist. I thanked her and she questioned as to whether or not I was aware of the responsibilities that came with these threads. I told her, “Yes, I am, and know that whenever you are in need, all you need to do is call and I will leave what I am doing at the time and travel to protect you or to help you.” The evening before I was to return to America from India, my “little sister” from India, Jyotsna Dayal, came to me at a farewell dinner at the Ashok Hotel and tied red threads around my wrist. She has been and always will be my little sister.
For some inexplicable reason, I feel an affinity toward India and its people, and not a day passes but I think of my friends there, and of the colorful countryside, the noise of the tuk-tuks, and the visual of cows walking in the roads alongside cars and trucks and those people riding bicycles. On December 26, 2004, the Feast of Saint Stephen in the Christian Calendar, when the tsunamis hit south India, and other countries bordering the Indian Ocean, I was struck by the enormity of the disaster, but was also moved by something else. I looked down upon my right wrist, and saw the red threads that had been tied there by my Indian friend, as well as subsequently by my daughter. I knew as soon as I looked at the strings, that I needed to determine some way I could assemble a team of volunteers to travel with me to south India to help rebuild the areas hardest hit. My sister, India, was calling, and I felt the obligation to come to her aid.
With many Rotary contacts in India, we were successful in planning a two-week trip to India, departing from New York on Monday, March 28th and returning on Sunday, April 10th. Upon arrival, we traveled down to Pondicheri, where we stayed for a week. Each morning, we traveled by bus to the coast of south India. According to statistics, as a result of the tsunamis on December 26th, of all the towns and villages in the state of Tamil Nadu, nearly 8,000 people lost their lives, with over 6,000 from Nagapatinam, alone! We were approved to work for a full week in Tamil Nadu, helping to construct permanent shelters for some of the fishermen and their families, who were rendered homeless as a result of the tsunamis. We were asked to help build 100 permanent shelters and to raise the funds to pay for the materials. The cost per shelter was $3,500. We looked forward to working with local Rotarians, as well as with laborers in the village. The shelters were constructed using mud bricks and concrete blocks.
The following summer, the daughter of a Rotarian (my little brother in India) came to this country for performing at fund-raising concert recitals, for the benefit of the fund to assist in this project. Pallavi Saran Mathur is ranked as one of the top three classical dancers in all of India. She agreed to come to the United States and to perform for no fee, if we are successful in arranging for her flights and lodging.
With the cost of each permanent shelter set at $3,500 it seemed reasonable to think that most groups or organizations or corporations could fund at least one shelter. Imagine yourself looking forward to living in a shelter, which was less than 400 square feet in area. These folks were so very grateful for anything we were able to provide safe and permanent shelters for them and their families.
My goal was to raise awareness of the needs caused by the devastation, to assemble a team of caring volunteers, Rotarians and Friends of Rotary, and finally to raise as much of the $350,000 necessary to pay for all of these dwellings. In fact, we raised funds sufficient to pay for nearly one-half of the homes, and in 2006, I returned to India once more, and had the honor of working as a part of the construction crew for the final four housing units in the Village of Pannithittu.
Now, whenever I look down and see the red strings which were tied around my right wrist, I recall the tenderness and solemnity of the occasions where the strings were tied by friends and family, but I also remain fully aware of my inherent obligations, real or perceived, to be always ready to respond to the calls for help from my little sisters. Even today, in 2012, some of the raakhi threads on my wrist remain from 2003 – a testament to the strong and unbroken bond I enjoy with India.
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