Every Indian festival has an interesting story behind it and Indian mythology provides rims of pages that tell references & historical occurrences of all festivals. Moreover, different parts of India tell different stories, wherein local legends also add flavour to the festival. Around Rakhi festival many stories are woven from the days before Ramayan and Mahabharat.

Among these stories, tale of King Bali is considered to be the first and prominent legend behind Rakhi festival in India. As the Raksha Bandhan legend goes, Bali, king of demon clan, used to worship Lord Vishnu, who was protecting Bali’s kingdom. Hence, Goddess Lakshmi had to live away from her lord and she went to King Bali in disguise as sought refuge in Bali’s abode till Lord Vishnu came back. When Shravan Purnima celebrations started, Lakshmi tied the sacred thread to Bali; when Bali asked about her, Lakshmi came to her original appearance. The king was impressed by Lakshmi’s kindness and he sacrificed all he had for the Vishnu and Lakshmi. From this time, every year, it has become a custom to invite sisters on Shravan Purnima – Raksha Bandhan and sister ties rakhi around the wrist of her brother and prays for his brother’s prosperity and health.

Another famous Raksha Bandhan history is from Mahabharata. Draupadi, wife of Pandavas, once torn a thread off her sari and tied it to Krishna’s wrist to stop the flow of blood. Krishna was impressed by this action of Draupadi, and promised her to protect her as his sister. Krishna kept his promise during Cheer Haran (literally disrobing somebody) of Draupadi in Hastinapur assembly by prince Dushasana.

There are many other stories woven around this festival, but they are of little historical value. Raksha Bandhan legend of Goddess Santoshi, Yama and Yamuna, Alexander the Great and King Puru, Rani Karnavati and Emperor Humayun are also popular in India.

For more than 2000 years, India has been celebrating Rakhi festival every year. There are millions, who are eagerly waiting for this festival as rakhi celebrations bring the entire family close and it’s an opportunity for members to reunite. But there are some unlucky brothers & sisters who cannot meet or if they meet, they have to undergo hell lot of troubles. You must be thinking, "Who could be those siblings who cannot celebrate rakhi 2012 this year"?

 The answer is clear: those who are imprisoned. Such jailbirds do not even know when is rakhi 2012? For such souls, let me inform you that Rakhi is on August 2, 2012. Last year Bhatinda central jail witnessed high emotional scenes in the campus as many sisters visited the jail to tie rakhis to their brothers, who were imprisoned. One of them was Jasvir Singh, an under trial, who was in tears as he confessed that he didn’t have any rakhi gifts for her sister. In the other corner, a brother and a sister both were crying like anything when they greeted each other with smile.

There are so many moving stories in India, where the happy reunion of brothers and sisters turns into a heart-rending episode. Imagine the plight of a sister, whose brother is behind the bars. She has to undergo so much shame and misery, and has to face snarky remarks from her neighbours. So brothers, this Raksha Bandhan, all your sister wants from you is your good behavior; perhaps this would be one of the best rakhi gifts from you to your sister.

After the long inertia in jewellery market (that was due to nation wide strike on the heels of excise duty levied on branded and unbranded jewellery in Union Budget 2012-13), jewelers in India are coming up with a bang, and the proof is heavy discounts on making charges. And customers are also making a beeline for Indian jewellery shops. The 21-day strike has also affected jewellery online as shopping portals were fighting hard to find vendors to supply jewellery. Infibeam – one of the largest online shopping portals, checks out what is hot and what is not in jewellery for the coming festival season.

Diamond Jewellery
Design is carat in diamond jewellery. Different shapes & styles woo the takers – mostly ladies. And our men, who want to woo their women, readily go for creativity. The heart-shape is an all-time hit for all occasions; Valentine’s Day, Women’s Day, Festivals, Weddings & Birthday Parties. Flowers also put smile on delicate lips of ladies, who love to wear lotus & sunflower designs.

Gold Jewellery
All that glitters is gold. Yes, after the summer, the festive season will instill the hearts of consumers with gold. And designer gold jewellery will rule the roost as jewelers across the India have introduced heavy discounts (as much as 25%) on making charges. So ladies, unleash the reins of your imagination and get your jewellery designed from the master craftsmen of gold.

Silver Jewellery
Silver works best as accessories and people use this metal like anything. Yes, the cost also matters as silver is far cheaper than gold. However, experts also opine that silver jewellery is losing its market share to other metals like platinum and stones. But for middle class, it is no less than gold. Moreover, the affordability of silver has always inspired customers to buy jewellery online.

Imitation Jewellery
Imitation jewellery price is the cheapest in all ornaments and perhaps this is the reason why it is popular among youth. College-goers have a special fascination for imitation jewellery as they can manage to buy every month from their pocket-money. Navratri is the occasion when youngsters, especially girls, go for imitation jewelry shopping to add value to their ensemble.