Ahead of Raksha Bandhan, people throng markets in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: Ahead of Raksha Bandhan, markets in the city are flooded with women scouting for glittering rakhis and packets of sweets for their brothers. Areas like Begum Bazar, Old City, and Koti are decked up with makeshift stalls selling different varieties of handmade and designer rakhis. According to stall owners, rakhis featuring different messages are […]

Hyderabad: Ahead of Raksha Bandhan, markets in the city are flooded with women scouting for glittering rakhis and packets of sweets for their brothers. Areas like Begum Bazar, Old City, and Koti are decked up with makeshift stalls selling different varieties of handmade and designer rakhis.

According to stall owners, rakhis featuring different messages are all the go this time. “Most people are buying rakhis with messages like an awesome brother, bro, little brother, and more. Even traditional and cartoon-themed rakhis are flying out of the shelf fast,” says a stall owner at Begum Bazar.

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Another stall owner, Abhinav Shukla says that sales are good this year compared to previous years when Covid-19 cases in the city were rising. He is selling rakhis ranging from Rs 150 to Rs 1,000 and says, “I started selling last month itself since many send them to their brothers living outside the city or country.”

Not just women, many men too are thronging markets to buy gifts for their sisters. The outlets selling chocolates, exclusive gift sets, perfume bottles, and other goodies are receiving heavy footfalls.

On the other hand, some are taking an online route to send rakhis, sweets, and gifts to their brothers and sisters living out of the city or country. According to youngsters, gifting options are vast online and affordable as well.

Many firms are promoting eco-friendly celebrations. Plan A Plant, which was founded in the year 2017 by a Hyderabadi couple, is selling rakhis that are embedded with plant seeds.

Meanwhile, with confusion prevailing among locals on the day of celebrating the festival, many priests say that people can tie Rakhi after 8:51 pm on August 11 and till August 12 during the Purnima tithi, i.e., up to 7:16 am.