Patna (Bihar) [India], August 9 : Union Minister Chirag Paswan celebrated the festival of Raksha Bandhan with his family in Patna on Saturday.
Expressing his happiness, Paswan stated that he was lucky to have the love and blessings of his sisters, further stating that the thread tied on the brother's hand during Raksha Bandhan also helped in boosting their self-confidence.
"I consider myself very lucky to have the love and blessings of so many sisters... I am fortunate that on the Rakhi festival, we assure our sisters of safety that their brothers will stand by them in every situation. But I believe that the thread tied in the brother's hand on Raksha Bandhan also boosts the brother's self-confidence and his strength a lot..." Paswan told reporters.
Raksha Bandhan is a traditional Hindu festival dedicated to the love and bond between brothers and sisters. On this day, sisters tie a rakhi around their brothers' wrists. In return, brothers offer gifts as a symbol of love and care for their sisters.
Rakhi symbolises a sense of protection. On Raksha Bandhan, the brothers promise to protect their sisters from harm of any kind.
Raksha Bandhan is a festival deeply rooted in Indian culture and has been celebrated for centuries. Incidents of sisters tying a rakhi around their brothers' wrists for protection are mentioned in Hindu religious texts.
Earlier in the day, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also tied a rakhi to a tree to celebrate the festival.
Speaking to reporters in Bhopal, the Union Minister urged the countrymen to take a pledge to protect the environment.
Chouhan said, "Today is Raksha Bandhan. Sister ties a rakhi on her brother's wrist, and her brother takes a pledge to protect her. However, now sisters have become so strong and powerful that many sisters are capable of protecting their brothers. But this festival should become a festival of protecting the country along with brothers and sisters. It should also become a festival of protecting the world. It should also become a festival of protecting the environment."
The Union Minister also appealed to the people of the country to buy Swadeshi or Made in India products only.
"Take a pledge on Raksha Bandhan to protect the country. We will buy Swadeshi. We should buy made in India products... Today I am tying this Rakhi to a tree because we exist because of trees. Ped hai to ham hai," he added.