On Sunday (August 22), the Hindu community in India and across the globe celebrated the festival of ‘Raksha Bandhan’. Sisters tied rakhi around the wrist of their brothers while the latter showered them with gifts. Raksha Bandhan is a tradition that celebrates the bond between a brother and a sister, wherein sisters of all ages bestow brothers with the responsibility of their care.
But as evident from the past few years, targeted campaigns are initiated to defame Hindu festivals in the name of animal rights, pollution and of course patriarchy. The festival of ‘Raksha Bandhan’, meant to celebrate the love between siblings, has been the subject of controversy after left-liberals and pseudo feminists began to portray it as a ‘gesture that upholds patriarchy’. As such, by not celebrating the festival and speaking platitudes against it, they claim to ‘smash patriarchy’ each year.
At the forefront of the misleading campaign in the name of ‘gender equality’ was an organisation named Sahas. For over a week, it uploaded videos sharing testimonials of young girls and women who were oblivious to the existence of ‘patriarchy’ in Raksha Bandhan festival. On Sunday, it shared a video wherein a woman was seen holding placards that read, ‘women don’t need patriarchy’, ‘We women need men to treat us equally’, ‘stop making sisters who do not have a brother feel isolated.’
With the final video of our week long ‘Rethinking Rakshabandhan’ campaign we would like to say THANK YOU to each one of you for taking time, efforts to reflect, sending it to us and be willing to share your story with the world. #Rakshabandhan #GenerationEquality pic.twitter.com/mwG4R3jhMf
— Sahas (@Sahas_1015) August 21, 2021
Another ‘feminist’ claimed, “When will we stop gatekeeping patriarchy in the name of culture? Rakshabandhan is just another ocassion rooted to Hinduism that once again assigns men to protect their sister to men like themselves. Isn’t this time to dismantle this patriarchal moral fabric embedded in our society?”
One Shreya Parikh tweeted yesterday, “Tomorrow is Rakshabandhan, a festival that has always been associated with patriarchy since my childhood. My parents explained that sisters tie a thread on brother’s wrist asking for a lifetime of protection.”
Another ‘feminist’ alleged, “Today sisters are feverishly celebrating tying a thread tk their brothers with the hope of being provided security (raksha), same brothers who abuse their sisters and women in general and get patted on their back for doing their manly duties.”
One Suman Sidhu claimed that ‘Raksha Bandhan’ espouses the idea of patriarchy. She claimed that it reinforces the idea that women need a man for protection. “Clearly, it’s a sh*tty festival,” she lamented. Furthermore, the ‘feminist’ ranted, “Don’t fool yourself you all. It is a sh*tty festival. Plus, nobody is opposing the idea of siblings get together. It’s amazing, we should do this but don’t fool yourself. At least accept the fact that you are celebrating a day which says women need boys to protect them. “
One Shehryar Khanum, who mistook first cousin marriages as a Hindu practice, claimed, “Happy Rakhi to all brothers except the ones who endorse patriarchy and also have women tie them Rakhi and later ask them out uncomfortably.”
Despite all the anti-Hindu propaganda, unapologetic Hindus celebrated the festival with both zeal and vigour.
