16 August :Rakshabandhan, symbolising the eternal bond of love between a brother and sister, was celebrated with much fanfare and enthusiasm in many parts of the country with people thronging market places and visiting their siblings with gifts and sweets.
Dressed in their fineries, sisters daubed foreheads of their brothers with vermilion and tied colourful Rakhis on their wrists.
President Pratibha Patil celebrated the festival with a group of 70 children while Prime Minister Manmohan Singh joined the festivities when students from city schools tied rakhis on his wrist at his official residence.
Singh distributed sweets to the children of the Society for Rehabilitation of Physically Handicapped, All India Balmiki Samaj and some schools.Security has been tightened on streets and crowded places like markets and popular hangouts to avoid any untoward incident.
In Delhi, the Metro ran three additional trains as families got together to celebrate the festival. They also deployed additional personnel for handling the extra pressure on the ticket counters.
Hundreds of women came to Tihar jail here to tie Rakhi to their brothers’ wrists. Jail authorities made special arrangements for the purpose.The Himachal Pradesh transport and DTC in Delhi have granted free travel to women in their respective states on the occasion. Courtsey : DDINEWS