| Rakhi eCommerce! | |
|
Selling
Ideas & Good Wishes!
|
|
||
|
||
     |
||
The full moon day of the Hindu month of Shravan (July-August) is time for the ritual of Rakhi or "Raksha Bandhan", which means "a Bond of Protection", when sisters tie the sacred Rakhi thread on their brothers' right wrists, and pray for their long successful life.
The
Online Thread!
The Internet Age has spread its boons to almost all Hindu
festivals. But Rakhi, in particular, is a festival that has adapted very
well to online business — because of its obvious advantages. Since the
ceremony involves sending small gifts to far off places, Rakhi has brought in
business opportunities for entrepreneurs big and small. So we have so many big
Web sites opening up their virtual Rakhi storefronts packed with real Rakhi
threads, and small Web sites have suddenly becoming active — promising
sisters to ship their Rakhis to their brothers anywhere in the world. The low
tide in the economy has brought in cutthroat competition, and we find new business
ideas popping up even in this brief Rakhi ebazaar.
Feng
Shui Rakhis!
This time around, the "Chinese Vaastu Shastra" (as Feng Shui is often
called in India) has been married with the age-old tradition of tying silk bands
with gold & silver threads and embroidered sequins! This has given birth
to what's known as Feng Shui Rakhis — featuring laughing Buddhas, dragons,
tortoises and gold fishes — that claim to bring good luck even after you
remove them from the wrist.
Indiatimes.com offers many such Feng Shui Rakhis with specific after-use instructions: Dragon Rakhi Bands should be kept in the eastern end of the house, or anywhere in the office for excellent prospects in business. Gold Fish Rakhis should be placed in the southwestern part of the bedroom for prosperity, luck, and a happy married life. Tortoise Rakhi Bands should be placed in the northern part of the bedroom, living room or office for long life and good fortune. Laughing Buddha Rakhis should be kept at the work desk to get rid of work pressure & for a quick fulfillment of goals. Besides Feng Shui Rakhis, Indiatimes also offers Kids Comic Rakhis, Devotional Rakhis, and Silver Plated Thalis or platters.
The
Rakhi Magazine!
Another innovative idea is the Rakhi Patrika ("Patrika" literally
means Magazine). This is a sort of cross between Rakhi threads and Greeting
Cards. The ethnic Rakhi Patrika from Homeindia.com
is more than just a receptacle for Rakhi components. It narrates the importance
of the festival, rendered artistically in Sanskrit and English on sheets of
handmade silkpaper, designed to resemble the traditional "pothi" or
sacred texts.
The
first leaflet in rich red paper with golden print has the Rakhi Purnima date
embossed and a small Ganesha idol fastened on it, followed by a turmeric yellow
page adorned with a real kumkum tilak (finger impression) with actual
rice grains on it. This page explains the significance of the "tilak"
that the sister applies on her brother's forehead during the Rakhi ceremony.
Then follows a cream sheet with a simple Rakhi "dhaga" (string) afixed
on it, and an inscription of the Sanskrit "shloka" (hymn) that is
traditionally to be recited when tying the Rakhi, along with an English translation.
In sum, the Rakhi Patrika is an innovative giftset packed with emotional
and ethnic appeal.
The
Rakhi Box
Anmolrakhi.com
has introduced a handcrafted wooded box, lined with velvet that holds the Rakhi,
Roli and Tilak. The site woos sisters in these words: "For the sisters
like you, Rakhi is more than just a ritual. It is a way of telling your brother
that you'll never forget how he teased you about everything, yet proudly stood
by you all the time. How he fought with you over little things, but never let
others speak a single word against you. And how you bid him farewell with a
smile, and only he saw those teardrops in your eyes." This Rakhi Box offer
is brought to Hindu sisters in India and abroad by a cargo service company called
XPS, which ensures "your bond of love and affection reaches your brother
on time, even if he is thousands of miles away."
The
Best Rakhi Web sites!
ArchiesOnline.com, IndiaGiftCentre.com, IndiaGiftHouse.com, IndiaInfo.com, IndiaPlaza.com,
Rediff.com, Sifymall.com, and Trade-India.com have also put up their Rakhi Special
B2C Web sites. Besides, there are also a lot of free sites — including
Yahoo!India — offering virtual Rakhis and free Rakhi eGreetings. Rakhi
is indeed a good time for folks on the Net!
Rakhi
Links >
Top 10 Rakhi Sites >
