Of threads and bonds...

[Edit] Entry for Photo Friday: BLUR [/Edit]

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Saturday, last, was Raksha Bandhan. Hindu women tie a sacred thread (rakhi) on their brothers' wrist on this day. Symbolic of the bond tieing them together. The brother, in turn, vows to stand by her and protect her for life. There's an old story of how a Rajput queen in Rajasthan sent a rakhi to the Mughal ruler in Delhi, when her state was attacked by a neighbouring kingdom, beseeching him to come to her aid. The sultan, respecting the symbolism of the rakhi, promptly sent a huge army to ward off the invaders. From what I remember, the story had a happy ending. Anyway, it made for good story-telling when we were little.

Raksha Bandhan, this year, brought back memories of my little brother's wedding a couple of months back. A bond sealed, albeit of an altogether different sort. They tied sacred threads on each other's wrists, a miniscule part of an elaborate wedding ritual that made them one, and promised to stay with each other through thick and thin. This one's for them...

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Nikon F75, 28-105mm
Fuji 800ISO
2005, My brother's wedding, Pune, India.