They fancy rakhis with a dash of astro

Rakhis with astrological gem stones, photos and names engraved are in vogue

Devanshi Joshi. Vadodara/DNA
Thursday, August 14, 2008

Rakhis tinged with astrology and having a personalised ring around them are in vogue in Vadodara, this year. Women in this city are going for rakhis embedded with real pearls, rudraksha beads attached to gold and silver having astrological significance.Gold or silver-based rakhis are not new but with the changing trend, these are being chosen essentially keeping in mind their planetary worth. This Raksha Bandhan, 'pendant rakhis' with pearls and gem stones fixed on gold or silver are becoming popular. Rakhis with real rudraksh beads are also in demand for its healing effect. Bharat Dave, an astrologer in Vadodara, said, "Usually, we suggest gem stones in ring and chain for astrological effects but rakhis can also have such impact as they are tied on the wrist. Stones fixed on rakhi with proper guidance of astrologer can definitely have influence on the wearer. More and more women are seeking astrological advice for the gem stone which is given on the basis of her brother's astrological details."Smita Rai, a working woman residing at Gotri in Vadodara, has ordered an astrological rakhi for her brother. She said, "Every year, I tie a gold rakhi on my brother's wrist. I came to know about astrological effect of gem stone on a rakhi from one astrologer friend. So I have ordered a rakhi with a ruby stone fixed on gold. I have taken astrologer's guidance for choosing the gem for my brother's success."The cost of 'astrological rakhis' depends on the selection of gem stone and the base of gold and silver. Apart from this, rakhis are also getting a personalized touch with photographs and names engraved on them. Rakhi shops in Vadodara are offering personalized rakhis made on special orders. These rakhis have individual picture of a brother or some picture which showcases the brother-sister bond. Collage of pictures is also becoming popular for photo-rakhis. Online websites are also offering specialized photo-rakhis. Most of the websites and rakhi shop owners have stopped taking new orders for Rakhsha Bandhan to finish the previous orders. Ritesh Jain, a rakhi shop owner at Ghadiali pol in Vadodara, said, "Now we have stopped taking new orders for photo-rakhis as we are already flooded with orders. The cost of photo-rakhi generally starts with Rs300. We get the soft copy of the photograph and put it on