A Gujarat based lady Hinal Ramanuj has come up with a novel idea of creating a Rakhi with the entire ‘Hanuman Chalisha’ on it. For those who are not more informed, Hanuman Chalisa is a Hindu devotional hymn in praise of Hindu God Hanuman made up of 40 verses. Recitation or Chanting of Hanuman Chalisa is a frequent activity for quite a lot of Hindus.
Hinal who is passionate about art and craft says that, “Since a long time she was thinking to put Hanuman Chalisa, that is one of the best known text of renowned poet Tulsidas, into a Rakhi as Hanuman is considered to be a saviour in Hindu mythology and Raksha Bandhan is a festival where sister ties Rakhi to brother praying for his safety and protection.”
However, she says, “the biggest challenge was to make it of very small size as people will not wear big size Rakhi, and at the same time to make Hanuman Chalisa, the prayer for this ardent devotee of Lord Rama, easily readable. Once the idea was in place, it took 3 months to create the prototype. One of the other objectives is though Rakhi is a precious article, people have to ultimately throw it off. In this case, the Rakhi will later find a place in the temple or a suitable corner from where it could help in reciting Hanuman Chalisa. The Rakhi is very reasonably priced as the main purpose is, not much to earn, but to make more people recite Hanuman Chalisa in this digital world.”
The rakhi has been created using soft cardboard and lamination. The size of the rakhi is only as small as a phalange of a finger.
According to college student Meeta Kothari, “I was sincerely looking for an innovative Rakhi which is different from the conventional one to tie it to my brothers. The non-conventional ones available in the market are either too childish or too expensive. When I came to know about this Rakhi, I immediately bought it for my brothers. I am sure they are going to remember this Rakhi for a long time.”
Hinal is whole heartedly supported by her husband Jignesh in her passion. It is Hina’s passion to create things for daily use that are non-conventional and have aesthetic value, without profit objective. Team of six people is involved in creating these Rakhis. The Hanuman Chalisa Rakhi is getting huge attention from sisters in Gujarat and Gujaratis abroad who are eager to tie this piece of divine art on the wrists of their dearest brothers.
Hinal’s team is already busy delivering Rakhi parcels to outbound cities. At least over a couple of thousand Rakhis of Hanuman Chalisa are expected to be sold as they are much in demand. But, Hinal, whose main objective is not profit, says that she has got immense satisfaction that thousands of people will not have to throw away their Rakhi this year, as it will also serve a meaningful purpose later.