Patna: With Rakshabandhan just three weeks away, city markets are flooded with rakhis — the symbol of the bond between a brother and sister — of all shapes, sizes and price ranges.
The shopkeepers claim that the shoppers would be spoilt for choice, from simple traditional rakhis to designers, from kachha dhaga to metal bracelets, in various price ranges.Children can choose from rakhis on the theme of their or their brothers’ favourite cartoon characters or watch-like bands, emitting with colourful lights.

Asked about the footfall of the buyers, a shopkeeper, Raju, said mostly those sisters, who have to send the rakhis to their brothers living in far-off places or those who want to avoid the last-minute rush are buying this early. “We have been witnessing a good number of shoppers ever since we have put the items on display,” he said, adding the number of buyers would go up after a week as the festival nears. “Many customers think the prices will go down a few days before the occasion. To some extent, they are right as we, in our bid to clear the stock, lower the prices,” he said.
However, another seller Ranjeet differed, saying that there would not be any variation in the prices. Asked about the most popular variety of rakhis, he said most women prefer the traditional kaccha-dhaga rakhis. “Customer preference mainly depended on the price range. Rakhis in the price range of Rs 10 to 120 are most preferred,” he said.

We also published the following articles recently