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Bhai Dooj festival, which comes two days after Diwali, was celebrated with gaiety and fervour in the State capital on Saturday. In Uttarakhand, all banks and state government offices remained closed on the occasion. The festival celebrates the bond between brother and sister. The main feature of the festival is to apply tilak of roli (vermilion) or kesar (saffron) on the brothers’ forehead by the sisters with the brothers offering gifts to their sisters in return and assuring them of protection.
The markets in Dehradun were found buzzing with the people flocking them in large number since the morning. The items that were the rage were sweets of myriad varieties. Besides, the gift shops saw huge footfalls as the celebration is marked by exchange of gifts between the brothers and the sisters. The shops and the markets in Dehradun were decked up appropriately for the occasion.
Buses that came to Dehradun from other places in the state as well as other states were found over- packed as those who live away from the city dashed here to celebrate Bhai Dooj together. The picture was the same at ISBT as well as other bus stands in the city. Moreover, keeping in view the heavy rush of commuters on Bhai Dooj, adequate number of traffic supervisory staff was deployed by the administration to ease things on the roads.
Santosh Khanduri, a priest of a famous temple in the city, said that the rich culture of the country nurtures and celebrates each and every relationship. “The most special one is, of course, the relation between brothers and sisters. Bhaidooj, as its name suggests, is a festival for the brother ('bhai') observed on 'dooj', which is the second day after the new moon. The tilak is the sacred mark for the Hindus, and the basic idea of applying it by the sister is to pray for the protection of the brother from the evil forces supposedly existing in the world,” he said.Another priest said that the auspicious time for sisters putting tilak on brothers’ forehead was between 1.08 pm and 4.36 pm on Saturday.
Anuradha Uniyal, a resident of Dalanwala, said that the festival commemorates the beautiful brother-sister bond. “On this day, they pray for each other's happiness and prosperity and exchange some gifts as a token of love.
A puja thali is prepared before the start of the ritual. Using sandal wood paste, red vermilion or a roli, the tilak is put with a few grains of rice added in it. If the sister is older the brother touches her feet and she blesses him with rice grains and ‘dubya’ (green grass). Sweets are served to the brother and then the whole family engages into singing songs and playing games. On the other hand, if the sister is younger the brother blesses her and showers her with gifts,” she said.
Anil Bisht said, “My sister Arpita aged 10 is younger to me. So I gave her packs of chocolates and cookies on this occasion. In return, she applied teeka and offered me sweets.”
With the passage of time, Bhai Dooj festival has been changing too in its form. Nowadays, e-mails, e-greetings, mobile phones and the like are becoming popular and they are particularly benefiting those who are staying
far off. “But the soul of Bhai Dooj remains the same, unaffected by the changes that are occurring in the body of such celebration. It would remain so through eternity as long as the family exists and the familial bonds retain their warmth,” said Neelam, resident of Vani Vihar.