Raksha Bandhan is traditionally about siblings. But it also makes you think about the people who end up playing those roles in our lives, whether they were assigned them or not.
The person who protects you.
The one who shows up without judgement.
The one who listens when you need them.
The person you can call without having to explain yourself first.
Festivals — and Instagram — can sometimes show us a very particular picture of family. Siblings who are close. Parents who get along. Everyone coming home, celebrating, laughing around a table.
And if that’s your family, it’s something to cherish.
But imperfect families are probably far more common than we realise.
There can be love and disappointment in the same relationship. There can be distance, complicated histories, and relationships that simply didn’t become what we hoped they would.
And somewhere alongside all of that, other people find their way into our lives.
A friend who protects you.
A sister who always has your back.
Someone who feels like home, even if you don’t share a home — or a surname.
Maybe family isn’t always just about the roles people were given.
Sometimes, it’s also about the roles people quietly grew into.
