PRESS RELEASE
Celebration of Raksha Bandhan 2021 with Prime Minister of Guyana
In the year of continued celebrations of India’s 75th Independence anniversary, as part of High Commission of India’s Raksha Bandhan celebrations in Guyana, the female members of High Commission today tied Rakhi to Hon. Brigadier (Retd.) Mark Phillips, Prime Minister of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana at the Prime Minister’s Office, in the presence of High Commissioner of India Dr. K.J. Srinivasa. Raksha Bandhan, also known as Rakhi Poornima, is an integral part of Indian culture and this festival has become an occasion to celebrate human bondings, relationships and a sense of togetherness by seeking and giving protection. This year, Raksha Bandhan festival is being held on Sunday, 22nd August.
Raksha Bandhan is an important Hindu festival to celebrate brother-sister relationship. Raksha or Rakhi means a sacred thread and Bandhan means bonding. Raksha Bandhan is thus essentially a celebration of bondings. It is celebrated every year on a full moon night of Indian calendar month Shrawan. On this day, sisters tie the Rakhi on the wrist of their brothers. This is a symbolic ‘binding’, a sacred vow to ‘defend’, protect each other, with sister praying for the long life of her brother and the brother renewing the pledge to protect her life and honour at all costs. With the passage of time, this festival has become gender neutral. Once a family festival, today it has become a social event. Now-a-days this festival is celebrated by one and all, regardless of belief systems, castes and creed. For ages, people have been celebrating this festival in their own way. Raksha Bandhan this year has a special significance when the humanity is facing the COVID-19 pandemic, as it gives a message of togetherness. Nobody is isolated, no body need to feel lonely and left to himself/herself as we are all a part of a universal family, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, the foundation of India’s world view and today perhaps it is extremely relevant to spread it all over the world.
Raksha Bandhan celebration in Guyana by the High Commission of India signifies the friendship, bonding and togetherness between India and Guyana and renewing their pledge to defend and protect each other and praying for each other’s long life and welfare and progress. Photos attached.
Long live India-Guyana friendship and partnership.
