Rakshabandhan is a day which every brother-sister wishes to celebrate together but with the growing distances, this remains a distant dream for many. This festival, despite of the distance calls for a celebration where brothers make sure to give their sisters a princess-like treatment. On this Rakshabandhan (August 7), we read on how people celebrate this special day even when miles apart.

Gone are the days of sending Rakhi’s through post weeks ago before the festival and hoping that it would reach on time. Now there are a plethora of options for them to make their presence felt even if staying miles apart. Gripped by the festival frenzy, siblings staying in different cities make it a point to bridge the distance through special gestures. For Akanksha Yadav, Rakshabandhan is a day full of surprises that her brother plots all the way sitting in Sydney. “There is never a dull moment on Rakhi even though my brother is based in Sydney. We start our day with a Skype chat from where the trails of surprises begin. The craziest gesture I remember is of getting an e-ticket to Sydney last year for my vacations,” she reminisces.

e-Rakhi is the new trend

“I still remember waiting for my brother to send me a confirmation on every Rakshabandhan of receiving my rakhi on time. It was later when I thought of sending Rakhi through internet. To my surprise, I came across several portals with customised rakhi options which would deliver on the mentioned date and time. I found this trend of sending an e-rakhi very amusing,” shares Yamini Gupta from Delhi. One such portal is High5store.com. It is an exclusive online store with comprehensive range of rakhi including kid’s rakhi, mauli rakhi, bhaiya-bhabhi Rakhi, lumba rakhi for different age groups. The collection is priced between Rs.199 to Rs.2599.

Pampering their princess

Though there has been a drastic change in the celebration methods but the soul of this festival still remains the same. Brothers make sure to pamper their sisters all day long, showering unconditional love and gifts on them. “Even though gifts cannot fill the void of me not being present in person, but they surely compensate to some extent. I did everything right from sending chocolate hampers, spa vouchers, clothes, photo collages of our childhood through internet. That happy voice of her was enough to tell me how much she enjoyed that day,” shares an elated brother, Vikas Singh who is currently based in Moscow. This year he wishes to take his surprise a level higher for her sister who stays in Pune. The previous year, happiness knew no boundaries for Simran Sharma from Hyderabad. She jumped of her bed out of sheer happiness when she saw her brother standing in front of her waiting to get a rakhi tied. “I felt I was living a dream when I saw him. It was a pure déjà vu for me,” she says.

Love you broman!

Those stupid fights, arguing and then agreeing on the same stuff, irritating and then understanding each other like no one else could, late night cooking and chatting, laughing until the belly hurts, you have always been my partner in crime. Love you broman! You are bliss to me.- Nupur and Mukul Chaudhary, Delhi

He has been a disciplinarian

The relationship with an elder brother is like that of a teacher and a student. While parents tend to pamper their daughters and treat them like princesses, my brother has been a disciplinarian to me who has taught me what the real world is like. He has encouraged me to stand up for myself and pulled me out of the house to play and never let me make excuses. All this has made me a strong human and not just fragile.- Tanvi and Eshaan Malik, Dwarka, Delhi

Gift of love without boundaries

1) Craftsvilla.com: One can send gifts all across the globe from India, USA, UK, Canada and Australia. One can go for aoptions like Rakhi Thalis, Rakhis, Hampers and gifts for brothers and sisters. The cost of a rakhi starts from as less as to Rs 35.

2) Mirraw.com: Pamper your sister this Rakshabandhan with ethnic jewellery, cover sets, fruit boxes, japipuri dohar and many more. They deliver to India, USA, UK, Canada, South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, Europe, Hong Kong and many more locations with less shipping charges. The cost of the gifts start from Rs 500 and range up to Rs 5000.

3) Rakhiindia.com: Send Rakhi’s, hampers, sweets, chocolate hampers and miscellaneous gift items which start from Rs 99. They deliver worldwide with free shipping in India.

4) Infibeam.com: Send decorative thalis, fancy rakhi kits, gold and silver rachis and much more to your sibling. The range starts from Rs 250 to Rs 30,000 plus.