By N. Lothungbeni Humtsoe

New Delhi, Aug 2  Raksha Bandhan is the most precious day of the year, it fills everyone’s heart with excitement and brothers’ eagerly wait for their sisters to come and tie Rakhis on their wrists.

To make this day even more memorable, IANSlife, brings a trendy and attractive selection of Rakhis and thalis to compliment them.

Precious Rakhis

1) Tribe Amrapali – Silver, gold plated floral painted Ganesha rakhi cum pendant.
Price: Rs 2,900, available in stores and website www.tribeamrapali.com

2) Anmol celebrates the precious bond that siblings share with their latest Raksha Bandhan edition. Every Rakhi from the edition dons an intricately designed centrepiece that is curated in 18K and 22K gold. Some pieces are crafted with fine diamonds making them Precious Rakhis in true sense.

Price: On request, available at ANMOL’s boutique in Bandra(W), Mumbai.

3) A rakhi, crafted in sterling silver and studded with semi-precious stones and colourful enamelling by Izaara.

Price: On Request, Availability – www.izaara.in

Biodegradable and Designer Rakhis

1) The women of Garhwal, at the Him Vikas Self-Reliant Co-op (HVSRC) have designed and handcrafted Rakhis out of Pine wood bark, mauli, local lentil seeds and rice, a staple in Jharipani, Kanatal. This eco-friendly Seed Rakhi will nurture the Earth when buried.

Price: Starts Rs 275, availability at https://pages.razorpay.com/organicrakhis

2) Moral Fibre, the khadi brand has come out with biodegradable rakhis and has roped in a self-help group (SHO) of women artisans that are trying to make a steady livelihood to combat this pandemic.

Price: On request, available at https://moralfibre fabrics.com/product/biodegradable-rakhi-3/

3) Agate Stone Rakhi – This stunning Agate Stone Rakhi with gold plated edges is the perfect choice for sisters looking for attractively designed rakhis. The uneven surface and the raw edges give each piece a unique look making the bond even more special. These are available in shades of blue, green, and pink.

Price: On request, available at Ferns N Petals store

4) If your brother frowns upon rakhis with big centrepieces, then here’s the ‘thread’ of bond. Aisshpra Gems & Jewels’s 2020, rakhi line-up boasts eclectic threads like blue, orange, green and blackish tones alongside traditional reds.

Price: On request, available across all the Aisshpra Gems and Jewels Stores

Thalis
1) Gold Gift Ideas Silver-Plated Sarovar Pooja Thali Set: This silver-plated Pooja thali is designed with intrinsic details that gives a perfect modern traditional look. Price: Rs 999, available on Amazon.in

2) Combination of two menacer Rakhis with puja thali and kaju katli, complimentary roli & chawal Price: Rs 1,299, Available at www.fnp.com

3) Delicious Rakhi Thali of Affection: Show your love and affection to your brother on this Raksha Bandhan through this beautiful and lovely Rakhi combo which is embellished with a beautiful Rakhi and delicious Sweets: decorated on a beautiful and designer thali. Price: Rs 1,199, Available at www.rakhibazaar.com

4) Antiques nirmala decorative Meenakari pooja thali in steel with attached small ganesha face giving it an auspicious look. Price: Rs 286, www.flipkart.com

Raksha Bandhan goes digital this year

By Puja Gupta

New Delhi, Aug 2  With travel restrictions and physical distancing becoming the new normal this year, traditional visits to our siblings for Rakhi this year are being substituted by virtual Rakhis sent online.

Major e-commerce sites have seen massive jump in the number of orders placed for rakhis and e-gifts given the restrictions and apprehensions about travel and social distancing.

Snapdeal saw rakhi orders jumping three-fold as more users have opted to buy or send Rakhis online. Adding to the trend, Snapdeal’s shoppers moved to completely digital solutions for Raksha Bandhan this year by choosing E-Gift cards as the topmost Rakhi gift.

The platform witnessed a surge in the sale of digital gift cards two weeks before Rakshabandhan. It logged an increase of 70 percent in the sale of these cards, vis-à-vis last year, the company announced in a statement.

Last year, travel accessories like go-pro mounts, selfie sticks, and backpacks were widely picked as Raksha Bandhan gifts. Ethnic clothes were also widely bought as gifting. This year, as India continues to be cautious of the virus, digital gift cards saw a big boost in sales.

“The number of Rakhis sold this year exceeds the number of Rakhis sold in the last two years combined. This is primarily due to the shoppers exercising caution and avoiding the festival linked travel,” the company said.

Flipkart has also seen a sale of over 1,00,000 rakhis per day. Overall, the platform has seen 2x growth as compared to previous year in terms of units sold.

The North is the largest chunk in the pie, with almost 45 percent demand coming from the region, followed by Eastern states with 25 percent share, the company said.

The top 10 cities generating demand are New Delhi, Bangalore, Patna, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune, Lucknow, Bhubaneswar, Kolkata and Gurgaon

Ferns N Petals has witnessed 100 growth in in comparison to the previous rakhi seasons. It has received 10,000 rakhi and rakhi gift orders every day, total 300,000 orders till Saturday. There have been 400-600 orders per day for virtual gifts like Guitarist on Video Call, Personalized Video message, and celebrity video message. The company is anticipating to close this season at 1.5 million orders.

“More and more customers are shopping online than before, in order to maintain social distancing. With this shift in buying behaviour, we have witnessed a huge surge in customers who want rakhis to be delivered in other countries like the US, followed by the UK, Singapore, UAE and a couple of other countries,” informed Manish Saini, COO, ecommerce, Ferns N Petals.