Over 53,000 Anganwadi workers from across Gujarat have come together to craft and send over 3.5 lakh rakhis to soldiers guarding India’s borders, an unprecedented tribute that interweaves tradition with patriotism.
The gesture, part of a state-led initiative in the lead-up to Raksha Bandhan, was recognised by the India Book of Records for its scale and sentiment. The “Raksha Sutra Kalash,” symbolically representing the collective bond, was formally handed over to defence forces at a ceremony in Gandhinagar attended by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.
According to a press release from the Chief Minister’s Office, the rakhis were dispatched as a message of respect, affection, and national gratitude to jawans deployed far from their families. The event marked a unique cultural offering where festive spirit met valour on the nation’s frontlines.
Women and Child Welfare Minister Bhanuben Babariya, under whose leadership the campaign was executed, said, “Gujarat's Anganwadi sisters sent rakhis for Raksha Bandhan, observed on the full moon day of Shravan, to honour and thank the soldiers for their service.”
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She further noted that under the leadership of the Prime Minister, the armed forces had successfully executed Operation Sindoor, a symbolic operation linked to preserving the dignity of married women through the protection of sindoor. “Through this gesture, the sisters of Gujarat have blended patriotic spirit with the festival of sibling love,” Babariya remarked.
The Raksha Sutra Kalash was ceremonially received by personnel from the Indian Army, Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
Representatives from the India Book of Records presented an official certificate and medal to the Chief Minister in acknowledgment of the initiative’s scale and impact.
Those present at the ceremony included Chief Minister's Secretary Vikrant Pandey, Commissioner of Women & Child Development and Secretary to the Government Rakesh Shankar, ICDS Commissioner Ranjit Kumar Singh, senior officers of defence and civilian departments, programme officers, and Anganwadi workers from the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation.
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