Raksha Bandhan

Told in English, Telugu.

It was the morning of the rakhi festival. Little Lahari held a shiny red rakhi in her hand. Her brother Chintu held out his wrist and smiled.

Ammamma sat on the swing and said, "Shall I tell you where this thread comes from? It is a very old story. Come, sit close."

Long, long ago, there lived a kind and clever prince named Krishna. Krishna had a dear friend named Draupadi. She loved him like a brother, and he loved her like a sister.

One sunny day, Krishna was cutting a long piece of sugarcane. Snip, snap! Oh no! The knife slipped, and Krishna cut his finger. A little red drop came out. Ouch! It hurt.

Everyone ran here and there. "Bring a cloth! Bring some water!" they cried. But nobody could find a cloth.

Draupadi did not run. She did not wait. She took the edge of her beautiful silk sari, and rrrrip! She tore off a strip. Then she gently wrapped it round and round Krishna's finger.

Krishna looked at his finger. Then he looked at Draupadi. His eyes were soft and happy.

"Draupadi," he said, "you tore your lovely sari for me. You did not stop to think. You just helped. So now I make you a promise. Whenever you need me, just call my name, and I will come. I will always keep you safe."

A little thread, a big promise. Can you say it with me? A little thread, a big promise.

Many years went by. One day, Draupadi was in a big hall full of people. Some of them were very unkind to her. She felt scared and all alone. Nobody there would help her.

So Draupadi closed her eyes. She folded her hands. And she called, "Krishna! Krishna!"

And do you know what happened? Krishna heard her. He remembered the little strip of cloth. He remembered his promise.

Draupadi's sari began to grow. It grew longer, and longer, and longer! It was like a river of silk that never ended. Yards and yards and yards of it, red and gold and blue. The unkind people were so tired and so surprised that they sat down and gave up. Draupadi was safe, wrapped in her sari, just as Krishna's finger had once been wrapped in it.

A little thread, a big promise.

Draupadi opened her eyes and smiled. "Thank you, Krishna," she whispered. And far away, Krishna smiled too.

Ammamma stopped swinging. "So you see," she said, "Draupadi gave a small piece of cloth with a big, loving heart. And Krishna gave back a promise that lasted forever. That is what a rakhi means."

Lahari tied the red rakhi on Chintu's wrist. She tied it round and round, just like Draupadi.

Chintu looked at it and said, "Lahari, I promise to keep you safe. Always."

Lahari giggled. "And I promise to keep you safe too!"

Amma came in with a plate of warm ariselu and a little bowl of kumkum. Everyone laughed, and everyone ate, and the red thread shone on Chintu's wrist all day long.

A little thread, a big promise. Say it one more time with me. A little thread, a big promise.

Good night, little one.