BJP ‘Mahila Morcha’ celebrate ‘Rakhi Purnima’ by tying ‘Rakhis’ around the wrist of males , treating them as brothers

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, August 9, 2025

Hindu domestic festivals and rituals always aim to strengthen the familial bonds among members as part of the idea that family forms the smallest but the most important part of a society and a state. Thus the festival of ‘Sashthi’ (mother’s day) in which a mother gives her blessings to her offsprings and sons in laws is used to strengthen familial bond as is the ‘Bhai Phota’ when all the sisters ritually convey their best wishes and prayers for long life of brothers. The father or the deceased forefathers and ancestors are ritually revered by offering ‘Tarpan’(offering of consecrated) annually on the day of ‘Mahalaya’ a week ahead of the ‘Durga Puja’. There are several other festivals celebrated across the country in different forms to strengthen the familial bond as the ‘Savitri Puja’ of its counterpart in many states where married wives spend three days in austerity to attain purity of heart mind before offering her respect and care for the husband.

The familial or domestic festivals and rituals are held round the year on ‘Tithis’ specially recommended by pundits and this is how the festival of ‘Rakhi Purnima’ (tying of flowery arm bands around the wrist of brothers by sisters) came into vogue long ago. This ‘Rakhi Purnima’ festival , held on the ‘Purnima’ (full moon) day of the Indian month of ‘Shravana’, was used as a political tool by none other than poet Rabindra Nath Tagore in the year 1905 as part of the mass mobilization against the partition of Bengal by the British Viceroy Lord Curzon. The movement achieved success and the partition of Bengal scheme had to be abandoned by the British in 1911 with a punishment for the agitators reflected in the shifting of British India’s capital from Calcutta to Delhi.

But the Hindu enthusiasm over ‘Rakhi Purnima’ has still remained strong as was evident today with leaders and workers of ruling BJP’s women front ‘Mahila Morcha’ moving from house to house and on open streets to fraternize people by tying ‘Rakhis’ around the wrist of male folks as gesture of good will.The former MLA of BJP and a leading figure of party’s womens front now, Mimi Majumder was seen affectionately tying ‘Rakhis’ around the wrist of BSF jawans close to the international border. This was witnessed in the Akhaura checkpost. Many other activists of the ‘Mahila Morcha’ as well as members of obscure ‘Bengali Women Society’, supposedly a front of the ‘Amra Bangali’, also hit the streets to celebrate the ‘Rakhi Purnima’ at Agartala. All other women leaders of BJP including MLAs and former union minister of state Pratima Bhowmik also actively took part in the ‘Rakhi Purnima’ festival through the ritual of tying ‘Rakhis’ (flowery arm bands) around the wrists of supposed brothers including the security force jawans.

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