Handcrafted for brothers

With changing trends, traditions have also become quite modern. Although the true meaning of Rakhi has never lost its essence, however, the way brothers and sisters shower love on each other has changed with a cute twist over time.

How was Rakhi started? Well, it is said that Lord Krishna had hurt his little finger and Draupadi tended to that wound by tying a piece of cloth torn from her saree. And since then the festival of Rakhi is celebrated across India.

The holy thread which was a saree's edge has now become more creative. All the sisters in India, are on a mission to select best rakhis for their beloved brothers. As sustainability is the main focus of today's youth, a few young entrepreneurs have come up with handcrafted and eco-friendly rakhis that can be reused as an art piece or can be planted like a tree.

Giving a modern touch to rakhi, Alokika who makes these rakhis says, "We have made rakhis that resemble the attitude a bother carries, a sister could choose a rakhi, which comes along with a card that has cute punch lines and taglines."

Hyderabad-based Divya, who is a baker by profession, has made rakhis in a more creative by combining the rakhi with a chocolate box. "This year I tried to do something unique with the sale of rakhis. I along with my friend Laya have made the concept of rakhi even more innovative by combing them with a chocolate jar. These are terracotta rakhis made by Laya, she owns a jewellery store and that's when we got an idea of pairing them with a jar of chocolates. These rakhis are made of terracotta, we have placed a frame on the rakhi where you can put a picture and the frame is made of a seed paper which could later be used to plant a tree. We have also attached a magnet behind the frame, and it can also be used as a fridge magnet as well. You can customise them the way you would like it."

The concept of handmade rakhis have been customised and it is preferred by most people.

Samruddhi Kulkarni, a Mumbai-based entrepreneur, who runs the Agnihotra Sevices along with her partner Tejaswini Mane has a very special way to celebrate the festival this time. "We are making these rakhis with the terracotta clay as it very eco- friendly. We also have plantable rakhis, where we put the seeds in the clay and once you remove the rakhi you can directly put them in the pot. We also have normal ones, which are made of clay and we shape and bake them, and later colouring is done. We also have rakhis for pets and they are paw in shape. For this initiative, we are also running a campaign to protect animals."

Urging people to quit buying the plastic shimmered rakhi, Krithika Saxena from Delhi, who is famously known for her seed flag has come up with seed rakhi's that could help us regrow the bond that we have with our brothers. "I have made rakhis with seed paper, which is made of waste cotton fibres and has seeds embedded in them. This could make an environment-friendly concept."

With the changing trends in recent times and global warming becoming a real issue the concept of eco-friendly rakhis are a welcome change.