Festivities have gripped the nation with India celebrating its 73rd year of Independence Day and Raksha Bandhan on Thursday. It is a time for a double celebration as 19 years later Raksha Bandhan and Independence Day fall on the same day making this August 15 a "festive Thursday".
On Independence Day, people of the country celebrate the day by watching parade LIVE on television, while some hoist National flag, special programmes and cultural events are held in schools and colleges and offices. People also fly kites on this day.
While Raksha Bandhan sees sister tie a talisman, called Rakhi, around the wrist of their brothers. Brothers in return promise to protect their sisters and also give them a gift in return.
There is a historical significance between the festival of rakhi and India's struggle for Independence. Notably, back in 1905, in the wake of the first partition of the state of Bengal, Raksha Bandhan ceased to be just a festival and instead become a socialist movement to mark a symbolic protest. Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore used the festival to send a strong signal to the British Raj — the only time a festival was used in India's struggle for freedom.
Once the order to divide Bengal came, based on religious grounds, Tagore urged Hindus and Muslims to tie amulets or rakhi one each other's wrist to express solidarity with each other.
With both celebrations falling on the same day, it is a reminder of how intricately the festivity is associated with India’s struggle for Independence and is a symbolic reminder of how Indians can stand united in face of diversity.
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