Raksha Bandhan, or Rakhi, celebrates the eternal bond of love between a brother and sister. The festival will be celebrated on August 30 and 31. On this day, brothers and sisters celebrate each other by performing various rituals. While sisters tie Rakhi on their brother’s hands, apply tilak on their foreheads, and pray for their prosperity and long lives, brothers promise to protect their sisters, love and cherish them, and shower them with gifts they adore. However, in modern times, brothers also tie Rakhi to their sister’s hands. Sisters also celebrate the day by tying Rakhi on each other’s wrists.
In Goa, we find many siblings share the same love for creative passions, whether music, singing, dancing or theatre. They practice together and grow up being a major support system in the family. The relationship is seamless as the siblings understand each other and as the sisters get married, it is the same connection that keeps this relationship strong.
Here are a few sisters who share their love for their brothers
Crispino, Carolyn and Cavin Nunes
I have two brothers who love me a lot, Crispino and Cavin. They shower me with gifts and a lot of love. With my elder brother Crispino, I was like his shadow, always following him around, doing whatever he liked to do. Our friendship grew over all the dance classes we attended as kids. Being the youngest couple on the dance floor, we connected through music and dance, and of course always joked around. He encouraged me to be the best version of myself and till today, he continues to be proud of me and my achievements. Even though he comes to Goa on and off, he always is connected through video calls. When we were younger, he used to carry me around the house like his little doll, and would care for me so much.
My younger brother, Cavin has always been close to me. We played and shared our toys with each other and have so many fond memories together. Even though he is in Texas, he visits often and always has a special place in my heart. I love them both dearly and want to tell them that they will always be the first friends that I have ever had. Thank you Crispino and Cavin for making my years full of love, joy and warmth. Today, I celebrate the both of you.
Pranav and Gautami Hede
Pranav is my elder brother and we both are singers. We share the same love for music. We used to practice together earlier but now I am married, I stay in Ponda. I was the first to start with Indian classical music and he joined me later. He is a very talented singer. He is a supportive and caring brother. Though he is elder than me, he treats me as his equal. When we are together, we sing, do cover videos, discuss about various songs and music and watch movies together. Before marriage, we were like two hearts but one soul. Now, we don’t get to spend much time with each other. We are both married and he has a son and I have a daughter and both of us are busy with our kids. But still when I go to my place, we talk about music and recollect all our old memories. I miss our old times. Yet, we are still connected through music. I miss my bhai.
Anant and Tanvi Kamat Bambolkar
Anant and I have grown up to love various art forms. While he took up painting I am more of a writer. However, love for theatre binds us both. He pesters me to write more so that he can direct the plays. We have been there for each other in our toughest and best times. Not that we don’t have differences. There are ample of them but we have learnt to respect and accept each other the way we are. My brother is one of my biggest cheer leaders and motivators and I hope we always remain the same. Of course, I do miss him since I am now married and we don’t live together but we try to stay connected through phones and messages. We even share our locations. We literally know where both of us are all the time.
Mandar and Prachi Jathar
Mandar and I have been performing Indian classical music since I was a young child. Being the younger cousin sister, I had the opportunity to learn music from him and he is also my first critic. While many will sugar-coat my performance, he will immediately notice a flaw and tell me where I have gone wrong. He is a teacher by profession but we share our love for music. People around us often get bored because we get so engrossed in our talks about music. Now, as I have grown into a professional singer, I am teaching his daughter and our relationship has matured too but he will always be my guru. We very often perform and attends music workshops together.
