Tying a rakhi may today be an activity of fun and some bonding. But the same thread, symbolising love between sisters and brothers, was used by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore to spread peace and foster brotherhood among Hindus and Muslims during the partition of Bengal in 1905.
“Tagore, along with his family members and followers, took out a procession through the streets of Calcutta on October 16, 1905, when the partition was made by Lord Curzon, and tied rakhis to everybody on the road,” says Anuradha Ray, a history professor at Jadavpur University in Kolkata. She says he wanted to create a sense of unity and strengthen the bond between Hindus and Muslims so that they unite against the British to stop the partition of Bengal. While on this procession, Tagore sang one of his famous patriotic songs “Banglar Maati, Banglar Jol” in which the lyrics say “Dear god, let the hearts and souls of Bengalis unite.”
Since then people across Bengal, irrespective of caste, creed and religion, tied rakhis to each other and went against the British rule. “This movement went on for a few years but then eventually fizzled out,” says Ray.
Though it has been long since Bengal was divided and rakhi is not really a movement anymore, West Bengal still celebrates this festival. There, Raksha Bandhan is not just confined to brothers and sisters. People tie rakhis to friends and neighbours as a symbol of harmony.
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