Bhai Dooj 2024: PM Narendra Modi greets on special occasion

Bhai Dooj is celebrated in the country today and the festival celebrates the special bond between a brother and a sister. The festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm after Diwali. On the special occasion today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday extended warm greetings to the nation, hoping that the occasion would strengthen the bond between brothers and sisters.

Delivering his message on Platform X, the Prime Minister wished for deepening affection among brothers and sisters across the country.

“I wish all my countrymen a very happy Bhai Dooj. I hope this auspicious occasion deepens the affection between brothers and sisters,” PM Modi wrote.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah echoed similar sentiments and expressed hope that Bhai Dooj would fill people’s lives with joy. He wrote, “May this sacred festival, which symbolizes love, devotion and dedication, bring boundless happiness to everyone.”

Bhai Dooj is a day dedicated to the love between brothers and sisters, where sisters traditionally pray for the well-being of their brothers by applying a ceremonial ‘Tika’ on their foreheads. This ritual is often accompanied by the exchange of sweets and gifts, symbolizing mutual care and strengthening family ties.

This beloved festival is celebrated under different names in India. In North India it is known as Bhai Dooj, Bhau Bij or Bhai Beej while in Maharashtra it goes by Bhai Tika. In Bengal it is considered as Bhai Phonta. The southern states, including Karnataka and Telangana, celebrate the day as Yama Dwitiya, recalling a story where Goddess Yamuna welcomed her brother Yamraj to her home for a celebration on this auspicious day of Kartik Dwitiya. Since then, the tradition has evolved, with sisters praying for the long lives of their brothers and brothers offering gifts in return.

While Bhai Dooj and Raksha Bandhan share similarities in celebrating the love between siblings, the rituals of Bhai Dooj differ slightly as sisters do not tie Rakhi thread like on Raksha Bandhan.

Rooted in ancient Hindu texts, Bhai Dooj carries stories of eternal love between siblings, including stories of Lord Krishna and Yamraj, making it a deeply revered festival across India.

(with ANI inputs)