Raksha Bandhan: A Sacred Thread of Language, Culture, and Ethics
By Dr Birbal Jha
Some festivals are not only observed and celebrated in the rich fabric of Indian cultural tradition; they are also experienced, felt, lived and transmitted as ethical legacies. During Raksha Bandhan, for example, tying a simple thread takes on a profoundly emotional and moral importance.
Traditionally, the festival marks the special bond between brothers and sisters. The sister ties a Rakhi around her brother’s wrist, and he pledges to protect her through and stand by her through thick and thin. Yet to reduce this ritual to a mere exchange would be to miss its deeper meaning. At its core, Raksha Bandhan is about trust, respect, care, and the shared responsibility to uphold one another’s dignity, identity, prosperity and well-being.
In today’s world, the idea of “protection” extends far beyond physical safety. It now embraces emotional support, respect for choices, and the nurturing of each other’s aspirations. This makes Raksha Bandhan not a one-sided vow but from ritual to mutual respect and commitment to stand by each other through life’s challenges, full of ups and downs.
This author has long championed the three-language formula enacted for the Indian education system. Youth, besides their mother tongue and Hindi, need to pick up English for livelihood, follow Indian culture for identity, and adopt ethics for society. Raksha Bandhan beautifully embodies all three.
Our love and principles are communicated through language. In a globalized world, English gives us power, but our Indian languages bind us together on an emotional level. They convey the cultural wisdom, blessings, and poetry that contribute to the intimacy and sincerity of the Rakhi ceremony.
Our culture is our identity. The tilak, the aarti, the Rakhi, and the sweets are not empty gestures; they are living symbols of a civilisation that values relationships above material gain. And ethics is the force that gives these traditions purpose — inspiring us to extend the Rakhi’s promise to friends, neighbours, soldiers, and all who stand as guardians of trust and safety.
Raksha Bandhan reminds us that safeguarding someone is not just about shielding them from harm; it is about protecting their dreams, freedoms, and self-worth. In an age of growing individualism, this festival rekindles the collective spirit that binds us as a society.
This year, as we celebrate Raksha Bandhan, let us tie not just a thread, but a pledge — to live by values of equality, compassion, and mutual respect. For while a Rakhi is made of silk and beads, what it truly binds are hearts, values, and the timeless spirit of India.
About the Author
Dr Birbal Jha is a noted author, English entrepreneur social entrepreneur, and champion of the Three-Language Formula — English for livelihood, Indian culture for identity, and ethics for society. Widely recognised for his pioneering work in English language training in India, he has been at the forefront of cultural and social initiatives that bridge tradition with modernity. Through his writings, speeches, and educational programmes, Dr Jha continues to inspire individuals to embrace language as a tool of empowerment, culture as a source of pride, and ethics as the foundation of a harmonious society.