THE PAST:
Those were the
days…Oh what days! Days before Rakshabandhan all the shops
were decorated with so many types of Rakhis and we used to
plan....Animations or musical, cards or bracelet, ornamental or the famous and
highly coveted one with flowers or the really pricy gold and silver threads.
Rakhis of all shapes and sizes hogged the market and made our choice harder
every year. Back in those days, we not only had a long line of cousins from
both sides but also the next day in school when year after year we used to look
forward to meeting our Rakhi brothers.
Those were the days
when blissfully unaware of the existence of Valentine Days and Friendship Days
of the world, we were lost in the emotion of brotherhood. Generation X was when
mobile phones were few and far in between. Sweet old tring tring bore
the responsibilities of communication and keeping in touch. Now when we have
the world on our fingertips, our ears attuned to the ting of our
notifications, the world has become a lonelier place. The rustle of papers and
the swish of pens, the thrill of choosing the colors when we made those new year
cards and the excitement of receiving letters… everything had a new charm.
THE PRESENT:
Ting, ting ting…as I checked a plethora of Rakshabandhan messages
from random people, the few that mattered were few calls I received. My
siblings were here, in spirit if not in person. Holding the flag for Generation
X, we had touched our lives and heart. Made each other feel that 'No matter what, we are here for each other. Always have, always will.
