ASIA SCENE: A festivity that invokes brotherly  love and harmony

This week as we proceed to vote for leaders of our choice and to pray for peace and prosperity to prevail in our beloved country, it is also an opportune time to welcome a festival that is unsurpassed for its message of love and harmony in human relationships.

The celebration that rather unites families and communities at large in a bond of love and brotherhood is revered as Raksha Bandhan and features on the eve of our election day.

Raksha Bandhan, a bond for protection, is a day set aside for brothers and sisters to pray for each other’s wellbeing, happiness and goodwill. During this celebration a sister symbolically ties a cotton thread (Rakhi) around her brother’s wrist whilst praying for his prosperity and protection against evil forces. The brother at the same time swears by the thread and pledges to stand by her side under all circumstances to provide brotherly care and protection at all times. Both pledge to live a life based on moral, cultural and spiritual values.

After prayers and thanksgiving ceremonies at the temples and wristband tying rituals at home, gifts are exchanged amidst merry-making. From time immemorial the Rakhi tying symbol of love and care has crossed the boundaries of religion and faith  not only in India but globally people follow this tradition of sharing feelings with each other.

The day is one of the several occasions to also celebrate family ties and friendships. It brings together men and women whether biologically related or not together to respect and care for each other.

It is historically recorded that Indian Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore invoked the festivity as a concept to inspire love, respect and mutual protection between religious divides in India during the colonial rule. His poems on Rakhi are socially, religiously and academically inspiring.

I wish Happy Raksha Bandhan to all and best wishes for a peaceful and patriotic election process. Let us come together to vote for our leaders constitutionally, wisely without any malice or hatred in the true spirit of the Raksha Bandhan festivity and invoke the blessings of the Supreme being for unity, love, peace, national brotherhood and prosperity in Kenya.