BHOPAL: The lockdown in Bhopal has taken the sheen off Rakshabandhan just as it has done to other festivals this year.
Many women are upset about it. They cannot meet their brothers, despite living in the same city. Likewise, those whose brothers are settled in different districts across the state are also sad. They are unable to go to those places and tie Rakhi to their brothers.
It does not matter whether a woman is young or old. She had the same yarn to share with Free Press ahead of Rakshabandhan.
An 84-year-old woman Meera has been tying Rakhi to her 90-year-old brother L R Chansauriya for 55 years. The lockdown has prevented her from doing so this year.
Meera, a retired principal of government Kasturba Girls’ Higher Secondary School in T T Nagar, lives in New Market, Bhopal. Her brother resides in Arera Colony in the state capital.
She is unhappy, because she is unable to tie Rakhi to her brother for the first time. “I am sad. The government says one should come out of one’s home only when it is necessary. I follow it,” she said.
She has decided to tie Rakhi to her brother when the lockdown ends. She has sent Rakhi to her another brother who is in Jabalpur through online services.
“Every year, I buy a Rakhi and courier it to my brother along with a letter. The sudden lockdown has forced me to send it through an online service,” she said.
Similarly, 52-year-old Anita Pathak who lives in Professors Colony cannot tie Rakhi to her only brother who is settled in Lalghati.
She has been tying Rakhi to him for around 30 years. Her brother has advised her to avoid coming out of home because of the lockdown and the corona pandemic. “I am upset. The corona pandemic and the subsequent lockdown have ruined our festivals,” said Anita, a government employee.
Chanchal Singh Rajput, owner of a boutique in Kolar Road area, has two younger brothers, Shivam and Aayush. Both reside in Bharat Talkies area in the state capital. The lockdown has deprived her of the joy of tying Rakhi to them.
A homemaker Aarti Malviya, ties Rakhi to her two brothers every year. Both of them live in Hoshangabad. Nonetheless, she cannot do it this year. She, too, has cursed the lockdown. She said she would go there to celebrate Rakshabandhan once the lockdown ends.
An artist Vandana Nayak has only one brother Naveen. He is in Gwalior. After getting married in Bhopal, she has been visiting the district during each Rakshabandhan. “I am unable to go there. I told one my of my sisters who lives in Gwalior to tie Rakhi to Naveen on my behalf,” she said.
Neeta Puspel is a counsellor in Bhopal Cancer Research and Welfare Association. Her brother lives in Shahdol. He used comes to Bhopal during Rakshabandhan. Both she and her sister live in the same home in the state capital. This year, however, he is unable to come due to the lockdown. “We have planned to tie e-Rakhi to him,” she said.
