![20230829171649_IMG_9241 School girls tie 'rakhi' on the wrists of Indian Army soldiers during celebrations of 'Raksha Bandhan' festival, in Poonch.](https://cdndailyexcelsior.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/20230829171649_IMG_9241-scaled.jpg)
JAMMU, Aug 30: Far away from their siblings on Raksha Bandhan, the security personnel posted on the frontiers got a taste of sibling love on Wednesday as local schoolgirls tied rakhis on their hands in a show of gratitude for the services they render to ensure civilian protection.
In the Akhnoor sector of Jammu and Kashmir, schoolgirls were pictured tying rakhis on the hands of Indian Army jawans. They were even seen applying ’tilak’ on their foreheads and offering prayers for them.
“They are here to protect us. So I felt it was my responsibility to acknowledge their services and do our sibling duty for them. We believe that the rakhis we tied on their hands will protect them,” a schoolgirl said.
“The purpose of our visit was to ensure that the jawans posted on the borders, far away from their homes and loved ones, do not feel left out of the Raksha Bandhan celebrations. We are here as their sisters. We prayed to the Almighty to keep them safe,” Geeta Devi, the local sarpanch, who organised the Raksha Bandhan celebrations with the forces, said.
At the international border in the Samba sector of Jammu and Kashmir, the Border Security Force (BSF) personnel celebrated Raksha Bandhan with a group of schoolchildren.
The schoolgirls, clad in their best and brightest, were seen tying the sacred thread of sibling love and bonding on the hands of the BSF personnel.
Also, in Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir, a group of schoolgirls came forward and celebrated Raksha Bandhan with jawans of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
They celebrated Raksha Bandhan with the personnel, following time-tested rituals, and also exchanged sweets with them. (Agencies)