Simple yet elegant rakhis are the most sought after

Like each year, the market is inundated with a huge variety of Rakhis. It seems there is more choice for children as most shops have several Rakhis that promote their famous cartoons. The list is endless including Doraemon, Spiderman, Mickey Mouse, Chota Bheem, to mention a few.

The prices vary from Rs 10 to Rs 100 and even more. “For little children, these cartoons are their real heroes and the idea of creating cartoon specific Rakhis is great,” say several shopkeepers selling Rakhis at Secunderabad. They added that the cartoon trend is all over the place and not only in the city.

“I want to buy most of the cartoon Rakhis available in the market but I will buy more of Spiderman and Doraemon because they are my favourites,” says an 8-year-old who was accompanying his mother for shopping at SD Road, “It is a delight to come across such a huge variety.

It clearly seems the makers have targeted the children to ensure high sales,” shared the mother. According to online marketplace Flipkart, which offered a wide range of rakhis for customers to browse and shop from, the demand for contemporary rakhis has been higher as compared to traditional styles this year.

“Demand for designer and scented rakhis grew tremendously. Customers browsed and purchased more of contemporary styles like beads, pearls, rudrakash and cartoon/kids as opposed to traditional styles,” said a source.

Earlier, rakhis were mere simple threads, but now the markets are full of strings with multi-coloured stones, ornate embellishments and motifs, and in zari, zardosi and floral varieties. Jewellery stores even sell pure gold, silver and diamond studded rakhis for those who can afford it.

While a simple thread could cost Rs.5, the beaded variety begins at Rs.20 and can go up to Rs.300. The silver ones start at around Rs.1000, and for gold, it all depends on the weight of the centrepiece.

A worker at a Hallmark gift store told that this year, "customers are not going for gaudy rakhis or stone-studded ones, but the simpler, toned-down rakhis are selling a lot”. A new offering is the ‘Bhaiya-Bhabhi' set, which includes a rakhi for the brother and a lumba rakhi for the sister-in-law.

Online shopping sites are also catering to the demands of customers with a wide variety. Bhavya Chawla, chief stylist of website Voonik, also said the best-selling rakhis this year, are classy and elegant.

“The designs are simpler, smaller and definitely finer,” Chawla said and added that “the colours used mostly are red, yellow, dull gold and are made up of beads, pearls, diamontes, zari patches and fancy stones”.

She even pointed out at how from the huge, bold round top, which looked like a wrist watch, rakhis are now “sleeker and more stylish, catering to a more refined India”. Customers are also on the lookout for something fresh.

"I try to look for something interesting every year... something subtle and classy. I’m not into gold and silver rakhis," Neha Rathore Sharma, a 30-year-old design professional, told. (with agency inputs)