Tonight will be a full moon. This is the day of the "Rakhsan Bhandan" festival, and we have invited the extended family to our home in village Pandoori Raj Putan Di to celebrate. The sisters in the family will tie "rakhris" to the wrists of the brothers in the family in exchange for rupees - a symbol of that brothers will look after sisters.
The day began with some tinkering around with some musical instruments, where my brother and myself got to try a "Sarngi" and a "Dhol". It's hard to imagine getting a tune out a Sarngi, but much fun was had getting a rhythm out of the Dhol. However, brother Sunil (Shilli) is the family expert and he plays it amazingly.
The first task of the morning was to go to "Babha Rokhrka" to pay respects and to add oil to the oil-burning lamps there. On the way back, we came and said hello to our family's cattle - brother Nishi pictured.
Meanwhile, preparations were happening at home for the big meal... we will have invited the entire village to eat with us! So the mass washing of metal dishes progressed, and the whole family mucked in to get ready (though we have hired some chapatti-making ladies!).
As the sisters of the family started to arrive, the tying of rakhris between each brother and sister combination commenced. As you can imagine, this process took a long time, and many photographs were taken. I have selected a small number for you to see. From left to right: myself; Didi Ramma; brother Bablu: Uncle Vijay; Auntie Swarni; my brother Aneel; myself; Didi Saka; brother Bablu; Didi Reena; Didi Kaka.
After having our wrists loaded up it to go to the temple to pay respects and watch uncle Vijay plan the Sarngi
Then was time for us to do some work! The girls had cooked the dhals - it was time for the men to serve the village community. The men came and ate first, and then the women. After a hot evening's work, we relaxed under the full moon before bed.
