Stalls in some of Dadar’s prominent lanes are adorned with hundreds of rakhis that are a mix of both old and new designs. Customers were seen rummaging for outstanding rakhis while the sellers were busy catering to each customer’s requests and demands. 

Two stall owners, Praful Gopal Dhotre and Nilesh More, both in their early 60s, have been selling rakhis at Dadar’s Ranade Road for the past 20 years. Managing to answer questions amidst attending to the noisy crowd, both spoke of having observed striking transitions in rakhi designs every year. Dhotre says, “When I started selling rakhis, they used to be huge and were big enough to cover the whole wrist on one side. Now, people prefer to go with more subtle designs”. 

More on the other hand speaks of the old rakhis having returned to the market this year. “They are the same old rakhis that we used to sell some 10 years back. Surprisingly people are buying them this time. So we ordered more of those in over 3-4 different sizes. It’s good to see people buy the old rakhis as well”. 

Rakhi makers seem to have taken the tradition of ‘Raksha Bandhan’ in an absolutely literal sense this year as we saw evil eye rakhis heavily dominating the collection. These rakhis are available in various colours besides their usual blue. 

The price range of these rakhis ensures every person regardless of their buying capacity stands a chance to pick a special one for their loved ones. A basic rakhi can cost you somewhere between Rs 5 to Rs 40. Those wanting more decorative and bead-studded rakhis can buy them from Rs 50 onwards. The most expensive rakhis here do not exceed Rs 250. 

Rakhis for children are the trendiest of all. These trends are heavily driven by the newest popular cartoon shows and characters. Although nothing beats Chota Bheem and Spiderman rakhis for little brothers, the newest collection of children’s rakhis is sure to double the fun of this Raksha Bandhan. Peppa Pig cartoon has been enjoying a good amount of popularity for quite some time and has also found its way into the rakhi collection.

What’s more, the majority of rakhis have fancy LED lights, making it more attractive for the kids. All rakhis for kids range somewhere between Rs 30-50 including the LED light rakhis.

At Dadar market, you will be spoilt for choice with the variety of options available.

Photo Courtesy: Aakanksha Ahire 

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