Tagore's thread of unity to booming trade - how Rakhi became Rs 25k cr business
The article explores the evolution of the Raksha Bandhan festival from a historical symbol of communal unity into a massive retail event in India. It details the economic impact of the festival, noting that trade turnover is expected to reach Rs 25,000 crore.
Why it matters
It illustrates how cultural traditions are increasingly integrated into modern e-commerce and retail economies.
In August 1905, as Bengal braced for a partition designed by the British to split its Hindu and Muslim population along communal lines, Rabindranath Tagore walked through the streets of Kolkata asking strangers to tie threads on each other's wrists. It was Raksha Bandhan, and Tagore had repurposed a domestic ritual, sisters protecting brothers, into a public act of protest. Hindus tied rakhis on Muslims, Muslims tied them on Hindus, and for one day at least, the colonial administration's attempt to engineer division through the Bengal Partition met a street-level answer in silk thread.
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