Today is the festival of Raksha Bandhan and siblings are leaving no stone unturned to express their love for each other and honour their relationship. Celebs speak to The Free Press Journal exclusively on this special day.
Isha Koppikar Narang
“My brother Anosh is my best friend and we are inseparable. We have a close-knit bond and cannot go even two days without talking to each other. We go trekking together as he loves nature and is a wildlife enthusiast. We go on wildlife safaris and holidays together and I learn a lot from him. Of course, both of us are busy with our careers and families. Festivals and occasions like these bring us closer and strengthen the bond. It's a traditional holiday and we make it a point to celebrate it with respect and love. The family comes together and it’s all fun and sweetness every moment of that day. Personally, it's my favourite thing about rakhi, the love, and affection that everyone shares.”
Preeti Jhangiani
“Every year my mama and mommy always do a wonderful rakhi breakfast. It’s a huge range of different kinds of vegetarian food, yummy and amazing. I have no brothers, we’re just two sisters, so my best memories were always with my cousins, especially my eldest brother. He would pretend to be a teacher and give spelling lessons with difficult words. I love all my cousin brothers. I’ve already received one gift, which is a whole pack of healthy ice cream.”
Anjana Sukhani
“My brother lives in Spain so going there for rakhi is not possible. But I do have cousins in Mumbai. I will be going over to their house to celebrate and have lunch. It is always a big ritual for us as all of our family gets together for food and gossip. My bond with my brother is that of a soulmate. I cannot imagine a life without him, he is my guide, my best friend, and bossy too sometimes.”
Shoaib Ibrahim
“I celebrate Raksha Bandhan with my sister Saba every year. Every time, she plans some surprise for me, and I keep trying to find out what it is or look out for some hints but fail miserably. My wife Dipika too helps me in this little quest of ours every year. In return, I try to give Saba all the happiness in the world and everything that she deserves.”
Ankur Rathee
“We planned a getaway to Alibaug this year with some of our friends. As kids, Sonia and I used to invent all kinds of games. We would play for hours in the car or on our beds. Our imagination ran wild together to far-off places and high-stakes combat situations. I remember right before Sonia was born, I was afraid she would hog all the attention and I would no longer be the adored baby of the family. But the second she arrived, I was enamoured by her. I just wanted to hold her all the time and take care of her. She did replace me as the favourite in the family, but I didn’t even notice!”
Mishkat Varma
“Raksha Bandhan is one ritual that I look forward to. Mihika is more like a mother to me than a sister. The love I have for her is unparalleled. Since she’s married now and living in Boston, our Raksha Bandhan celebration will be virtual, but the emotions are the same. I’m incredibly proud of what she has done and is doing with her life and I do miss her a lot.”
Amar Upadhyay
“Raksha Bandhan is a pure bond of love and sacrifice. Like every year my daughter Chenab ties me Rakhi. We've been following this for many years now. I am her father, brother, friend and her biggest confidant. My bua sends rakhi to me every year which my daughter ties on my wrist. I do have cousin sisters but since all of them are settled in different countries, they can't come here but this is one ritual we follow every year.”
Ishita Dutta Sheth
“For me, my sister Tanushree Dutta has played the role of my brother as well. In school, whenever anybody would trouble me or I had some issue with a person, I would first go to my sister and it's the same even today. So in a way, she has always protected me and we have celebrated ‘Raksha Bandhan’ in our own way.”
Shilpa Rao
“I was about five years old when my brother Anurag was born. I still have that memory vividly etched in my mind. I remember that feeling that this baby boy was in front of me and I fell in love with him the very second. And that love is still there in my heart and it will never leave me. It is the protectiveness and the honesty that we have in our relationship that I value the most. We are brutally honest with each other and it even leads to arguments at times, but at the end of the day, we both know that it is for our own good.”
Stebin Ben
“After a long time, my sister and I will be together on Raksha Bandhan and I can't wait to celebrate the day with her. Growing up, we fought a lot but as years passed, we realised each other's value in our lives. She was the first person who heard me singing in school, and when teachers praised me, it was her who pushed me to pursue music. My sister inspired me to take up music as a career and I will be eternally thankful for it.”
Yogendra Vikram Singh
“I am going to fly to Delhi and surprise my sister, and I can't wait to see her reaction. Right from our childhood, my sister always stood by me in my highs and lows. I remember during COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdown, everything was shut and I couldn't meet my sister for a really long time. So when things finally started resuming, I decided to not take the risk of travelling to Delhi via public transport, and instead, took my own car and drove all the way from here, only to see her happy face.”
Ieshaan Sehgaal
“My sister Tulip is also my best friend. Every year, wherever I am in the world, I make it a point to spend Raksha Bandhan with her. She is younger to me but I have learned so much for her in ways that I cannot describe, and she is the one who shows me the right path every time I waver.”
Rohan Gandotra
"I might be the busiest person in the world, but Raksha Bandhan for me is a day to cheer with my lovely sisters. It means a lot to me. I do not have a real sister but I am very close to my cousins Ishita, Shreya, Nishtha and Anvi. In fact, we have some of the best and memorable childhood days as we were always together. However, as life went by, we became busy However, Raksha Bandhan is a day when we all keep ourselves free just to cherish those wonderful moments of life and recreate new ones as well."
