Rakhi trade: Viksit Bharat, Nari Vandan, BrahMos new themes this year; total business could cross Rs 30,000 crore, says CAIT

New Delhi: Rakhis this year are carrying considerably more than the traditional message of sibling affection, with threads invoking swadeshi pride and government initiatives -- Viksit Bharat, BrahMos and women's empowerment -- even as traders estimate that the country's rakhi trade is expected to touch nearly Rs 25,000 crore.

The wider festive trade, including sweets, dry fruits, gifts, apparel, electronics and other items, could cross Rs 30,000 crore in the country, according to estimates by the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT). Delhi is expected to account for around Rs 4,000 crore of the business.

The figures come as markets across Delhi, including Chandni Chowk, Sadar Bazaar, Karol Bagh, Lajpat Nagar, Kamla Nagar, Rajouri Garden, Gandhi Nagar, Khari Baoli and Laxmi Nagar, see a rush of shoppers ahead of Raksha Bandhan on August 28.


At a demonstration at Chandni Chowk MP and CAIT national secretary general Praveen Khandelwal's residence in Delhi on Tuesday, a group of women entrepreneurs sat around tables strewn with coloured threads, beads and ornaments, turning them into rakhis in a matter of minutes.

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Rakhi designs showed the changing vocabulary of the market: Viksit Bharat, Modi's Guarantee, Nari Vandan, Atmanirbhar Bharat, Lakhpati Didi, Amrit Kaal, BrahMos and Rashtra Raksha Sutra.

The political themes, however, were only one part of a market increasingly being populated by handmade and locally produced rakhis. The women said their products were being supplied to Delhi's markets, and if orders came in, to buyers in neighbouring states.

For the women making them, the appeal is less ideological than economic.

"We want to move ahead and support our family's income. Whenever the festival comes, we take up this seasonal business," said Sarita Kumar, a resident of Delhi's Haiderpur who has been making rakhis for three years.

Kumar works with a group of around 25 women who divide production among themselves. One cuts the threads, another separates them, another inserts the beads and another pastes the decorative pieces. A rakhi takes about two to four minutes to assemble, she said.

Kumar further said that the group buys its raw material from Sadar Bazaar.

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"A rakhi costs them about Rs 3 to Rs 4 to make and is sold to markets for around Rs 6 to Rs 7, with retailers selling the pieces for around Rs 10 or more depending on the design," another woman explained.

"It is not only about making rakhis. We make diyas and lights during Diwali too. In our free time, we stitch and teach each other the work," she added.

The shift towards locally made rakhis has also altered the sourcing of a product that was once commonly associated with Chinese imports. The artisans said the market had seen virtually no Chinese rakhis for the past two to three years, including last year and this season.

"Earlier, rakhis used to mostly come from China. After 2020, there was a feeling that we should make our own local and swadeshi products," Khandelwal said, linking the change in consumer sentiment to the aftermath of the 2020 Galwan Valley clash.

Khandelwal added that the demand for theme-based rakhis was particularly visible among younger consumers, while Nari Vandan and Lakhpati Didi rakhis were attracting women buyers.

But the market is not confined to overtly political designs. Artisans are also drawing on regional traditions -- Khadi rakhis from Nagpur, Sanganeri art rakhis from Jaipur, seed rakhis from Pune, tea-leaf rakhis from Assam, jute rakhis from Kolkata, bamboo rakhis and Madhubani art rakhis from Bihar are among the varieties being sold.

Khandelwal said the preference for indigenous products was giving women entrepreneurs, self-help groups and artisans a larger role in the seasonal economy.

"Today, a swadeshi rakhi is not merely a sacred thread of protection. It has become a powerful symbol of Viksit Bharat, Atmanirbhar Bharat, women's empowerment and national pride," he said.