Happy Raksha
Bandhan! Indians across the world are celebrating this auspicious festival
today, on August 3. This marks the bond of love, faith, and protection between
the siblings. 

However,
because of the ongoing pandemic, various precautionary measures, along with
state-wise regulations, people are celebrating virtual Rakhi. While everyone is
celebrating this festival with much fervour, our television celebrities,
despite lockdown and their busy schedule, are leaving no stone unturned to meet
their brothers and sisters to wish them on this holy occasion. Here’s how our
favourite celebrities are celebrating the day with their siblings today –

Aastha Chaudhary

Aastha
Chaudhary started her acting career in 2007 with a Zee TV serial ‘Saat Phere:
Saloni ka Safar’ and got popularity with ‘Babul Ka Aangann Chootey Na’,
‘Uttaran’, and ‘Kesari Nandan’. Aastha tells Opoyi that she has a
seven-year-old younger brother and she is like a mother to him. 

“I’m very
protective and possessive about him. Like every year, I’m at home with my
family… I never miss Rakhi, even if I’m shooting. I make sure that I am with
my family. But, this year things are different. My hometown – Alwar is under
complete lockdown till August 12.”

She adds,
“This time it’s just me and my brother, my cousins were not able to make it. We
celebrate the festival together every year, it’s like a ritual. However, we
managed to celebrate it just a day before lockdown.” 

She tells us
that being with his brother on Rakhi is the biggest gift, she could have asked
for. “We are together and it’s enough.”

Manish Goel

Manish Goel
has a rich experience of around 20 years in the film & TV industry. As an
outsider hailing from Delhi, he too faced many challenges and struggled his way
to land his first major opportunity in Ekta Kapoor’s ‘Kasautii Zindagii Kay’.
He also won the Best Actor in a Comic Role. Later on, he did many primetime
shows like ‘Ayushman Bhava’, ‘Sara Akash’, ‘Adalat’, ‘Bhabhi’, and more.

“I am
resolving to visit my sister on Raksha Bandhan from the next year onwards,”
Manish tells us while talking about how much he is missing his sister on the
occasion. “It’s been almost four to five years that we’ve celebrated the
festival together and I realise that this should not happen,” he adds. 

“My daughter
will tie the Rakhi on her behalf. Meghna and I share a sweet bond, we do argue,
but it’s always healthy. I have spent more than half my life in Mumbai and she
got married quietly early. We have just spent our childhood together – when we
used to go to school.” He continues telling us a story from their childhood,
“Meghna was a bright student, and she was the Captain. I was the tallest guy in
the class and used to stand right at the end of the line during march-past. I
was the naughtier one and someone told Meghna that instead of being
disciplined, I dance and do ‘Masti’. Guess what, she noticed me and I was out
of the march-past and was also rusticated from the school. All these memories
are beautiful. During my struggling period, she has been a huge support. She
believed in me and encouraged me at every stage.”

“We still
share the same relationship. From my first audition to the first break, she has
been there.”

Mridul Singhvi

Mridul
Singhvi is one of the popular faces of Indian television. He is backed by loads
of experiences working in popular daily soaps. He shot to fame with the hit
television show ‘Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil’. However, the limelight was
thrown upon him with the character of Vardaan in the television series
‘Kasautii Zindagii Kay’. Thereafter Mridul’s career took a huge leap forward.

Mridul has
some grand plans for Raksha Bandhan. He tells us, “I have always been at my home
in Udaipur for Raksha Bandhan. We have a huge house and we have a tradition
where sisters write a letter to the brother, even in the age of WhatsApp. I am
waiting to get the letter tomorrow. Rakhi is a grand festival for me and my sisters
– Aditi Shah and Shriya Kothari. We started the celebration last night with a
small get-together with ‘Sheesha’, drinks… and late-night movie session.
We’ll be sharing gifts tomorrow.”

Remembering
some beautiful childhood memories, he tells us, “We used to fight like crazy
when we were kids. Verbal arguments were so common even when we grew up. Before
we (me and my sister) got married, I used to apply all my WWF tricks on my
sisters, but even when I didn’t they used to cry in front of our parents, and I
got the beating.”

Sharhaan Singh

A popular
actor in the Indian television industry, Sharhaan Singh has worked in various
serials, including ‘Uttaran’, ‘Maharana Pratap’, ‘Kumkum Bhagya’, ‘Kasam Tere
Pyaar Ki’, and ‘Sankat Mochan Mahabali Hanumaan’. 

The
33-year-old actor has also acted in Punjabi films ‘Yaraan Naal Baharaan’,
‘Thana Shagna Da’, and ‘Mr & Mrs 420’, even landing roles in Hindi film
‘Padmaavat’ and Hollywood film ‘Back to Honeymoon’. Brands such as Gillette,
Samsung, Ponds, Yamaha, and Hyundai have also had him as their corporate
ambassador.

The actor is
not able to celebrate the festival with his elder sister who happens to be in
Delhi due to the lockdown. He says, “I am not able to visit my sister because
if lockdown, but she has sent Rakhi for me. She is just like my mother and we
share a great bonding. She was strict and used to keep a check on me. Whenever
I visit my Punjab, I make sure that I go to Delhi first to meet her and the
kids.”

Let us know
how you are celebrating the festival.