Women at Mandvi Kund Send Handmade Rakhis and Messages to Soldiers

A group of women gathered at Mandvi Kund in Manduadih on Independence Day with two sets of materials: the national flag for their local ceremony and handmade rakhis intended for soldiers serving at the border. The programme combined yoga-community participation, remembrance and the personal language of a festival normally centred on siblings.

Around 50 participants from the Daily Integrated Yoga Class joined the gathering led by yoga teacher Pushpa Singh. They hoisted the tricolour, raised “Jai Hind” slogans and paid tribute to soldiers who died in service. The rakhis were accompanied by messages and good wishes for personnel stationed away from their families.

Sending a rakhi to a soldier is a familiar Independence Day and Raksha Bandhan gesture, but its meaning depends on how it is framed. At its best, it is not a claim over a stranger or a substitute for institutional support. It is a small message that someone at home has thought about the person behind the uniform. Handwritten notes can carry warmth that a mass-produced package cannot.

Mandvi Kund gave the event a distinctly local setting. The site is associated in tradition with Maharishi Mandvi and remains part of the cultural geography of Manduadih. Bringing residents together there also draws attention to the condition of community water bodies. Clean approaches, safe edges and routine maintenance allow a kund to remain a lived public place rather than a name remembered only during ceremonies.

The women’s yoga group demonstrates how regular civic networks can organise beyond their primary activity. People who meet for daily exercise already have trust, communication and a shared schedule. That makes it easier to collect materials, prepare messages and hold a disciplined public event without building an organisation from scratch.

The next important detail is delivery. Packages intended for soldiers should move through an authorised channel so security checks and distribution are respected. Organisers should avoid publishing personal details or promising that an item will reach a named post unless the receiving institution has confirmed it. A transparent handover keeps the sentiment intact.

Independence Day in Varanasi produced many large processions and decorated landmarks. At Mandvi Kund, the scale was deliberately smaller: roughly 50 women, a flag, rakhis and written wishes. That intimacy was the point. The gathering translated national gratitude into objects made by hand, while giving a neighbourhood group a reason to remember sacrifice together. The rakhis will travel away from Kashi; the community formed around them remains at the kund.