For the Kharbanda siblings—Kriti, Ishita, and Jaiwardhan—Raksha Bandhan has taken a digital turn in recent years. “It will be a virtual Rakhi, pretty much like every year for the last three years. The three of us get together on a video call and celebrate Rakhi,” Kriti shares, sharing that her brother has been studying and working as a media manager in London for three years.
Reflecting on their early Rakshabandhan celebrations, Kriti fondly recalls her brother Jai’s first Rakhi. “I still remember our first Rakhi; I was wearing my pink shirt and white skirt,” she reminisces. “Jai was wearing a white and gold dhoti kurta. It was so special. My parents got a gold Rakhi made for him, which we still have.”
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Kriti, who is eight years older than Jai, sees him as her baby brother. “For me, he is not just my brother, he is my baby, my second child after my sister,” she explains. Jai echoes this sentiment, noting how his sisters have always been his caregivers. “That’s how it has always been. By the time I could remember things, both my sisters had been caregivers for me,” he says.
Meanwhile, Kriti also tied the knot with her husband and actor Pulkit Samrat on March 15, this year. Revisiting a memorable moment, the actor tells us, “We had very few people gathered for an intimate ceremony on the first night. My brother took the stage and said that I want to say a few words. He recalled such a funny incident during that speech and I have it fresh in my memory, I had forgotten about it completely.” To which Jaivardhan adds and reveals, “Our schools were one wall apart during childhood, I used to pick him up everyday. One random day, Jai had to wait for two hours because I forgot to pick him up. I was sitting in my room after school chilling and my mom came up and asked, ‘Jai kahan hai?’ I freaked out that I forgot my brother! My mom rushed to the pickup point. Fortunately, Jai was still sitting there and watching WWE with a shop owner on the TV, he was just 11 years old.”
He continues with a laugh, “And it wasn’t even something that had to happen for one day. She used to pick me everyday and one random day she just forgot. So, I just kept watching TV till they came back to pick me up, I didn’t process much at that time.”
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Ask them if there was a typical vidaai moment after the wedding where both of them cried, and he answers that Kriti actually moved out years ago. “There was no vidaai as such, but it was definitely a full on Punjabi wedding. I know I am biased but I think it was the best wedding I have ever seen. The way it is now is that I have been staying in London for the past couple of years now and didi lives in Bombay, she moved out so many years ago. So, I think her Vidaai happened several years ago, that’s why we didn’t have to do it again!”
The Kharbanda siblings cherish Rakhi, seeing it as a celebration of their close bond rather than a gender-specific tradition. Kriti emphasises, “Our parents always taught us that Rakhi is a celebration of siblings. Come what may, we will stand by each other and be each other’s cheerleaders and punching bags, if need be.”
Jai reflects on the traditional meaning of Rakhi, noting how his experience differs. “While Rakhi is traditionally about brothers protecting their sisters, my experience has been quite the opposite. I was being cared for by my sisters long before I even understood the concept,” he concludes.
