Raksha Bandhan Special: 5 memorable Rakhi songs

There are times when siblings may not want to see each other but when Raksha Bandhan arrives all the grievances and complaints are over. It is a beautiful bond between a brother and sister that is celebrated every year. The sister will pray for her brother and in return he will make a promise to always protect her, a scene often shown in Bollywood films.

To celebrate Raksha Bandhan, BizAsia will look at some of the most memorable songs dedicated to this special day.

Phoolon ka taaron ka from ��Hare Rama Hare Krishna�۪ (1971)

The film starred Zeenat Aman, Mumtaz and Dev Anand who not only acted in the film but also directed it. Rahul Dev Burman created the music for this hit film while Anand Bakshi wrote the lyrics.

The song that symbolised the love between two siblings was Phoolon ka taaron ka. There were two versions of this song, one was when the characters are children for which Lata Mangeshkar lent her vocals. The second version was sung by Kishore Kumar who sang for Anand. The song was about a brother praising his sister, describing how everyone including the stars and flowers agree that she is one in a thousand.

An unforgettable song representing the love a brother has for his little sister.

Bhai aise hotey hai from ��Pyar Ka Devta�۪ (1991)

A story about a brother who dreams of getting his three sisters married into good homes. Mithun Chakraborty played the role of a mechanic named Vijay who struggles to find suitable grooms for his sisters.

The film was an entertainer it had Kader Khan and Asrani providing the comedy, Shakti Kapoor as the villain and Madhuri Dixit as Chakraborty�۪s lady love.

Mohammed Aziz and Alka Yagnik sang the song while Laxmikant Pyarelal composed the music. The song takes place on the festival of Raksha Bandhan where the three sisters are angrily waiting for their elder brother to return home. When the sisters learn that their brother stopped the kidnapping of many young women, their anger is replaced with pride for their brother. The song displays the love that each sibling has towards each other and how if one is unhappy the others will be unhappy too.

Meri pyari behaniya bannegi dulhania from ��Sachaa Jhutha�۪ (1970)

This blockbuster film was directed by Manmohan Desai and the music was created by Kalyanji Anandji.��Rajesh Khanna played the role of a musician who leaves for the city to earn enough money to get his sister married.

In the city he is shocked to find that he has a lookalike who is a criminal wanted by the police. Khanna won the FilmFare best actor award for his role in the film.

Meri pyari behaniya bannegi dulhania (My lovely sister will become a bride) was featured twice in the film. Kishore Kumar sings this classic which was picturised on Khanna. The song presents the desires of a brother and all that he imagines will take place when his sister gets married.

Bhaiya mere rakhi ke from ��Choti Behan�۪ (1959)

This black and white song is often referred to in other Bollywood films like ��Rang�۪ (1992) where one of the characters questions his friend why his fellow students are overjoyed when it is Valentine�۪s Day but come Raksha Bandhan it�۪s a different story.

The lyrics for this song are from a sister�۪s point of view, asking her brothers to fulfil their duties towards her and not to forget their little sister. Nanda played the role of the younger sister to Balraj Sahani and Rehman. The song begins with Nanda running around the house making sure her preparations are done for Raksha Bandhan. When she is assured everything is ready she calls for her brothers and begins the ceremony of tying her brothers a rakhi.

It is said Mangeshkar was nominated the Filmfare award for best playback singer for this song.

Isse samjho na resham ka taar from ��Tiranga�۪ (1992)

This song is a hidden gem which sadly not many will know about. The music for the film was given by Pyarelal while Sadhna Sargam sang this emotional song.

Just before the song begins a young woman overhears a conversation between three men whom she considers her brothers. One of them speaks about the importance of Raksha Bandhan and how the rakhi has a power which will protect them, no matter where they are. One of the men disagrees saying it�۪s just a mere silk thread, hearing this the sister is in tears and sings this song.

The song is about a sister telling her brothers that the rakhi she has isn�۪t just mere silk thread, it is love that a sister has for her brothers.

BizAsia would like to wish everyone celebrating a very happy Raksha Bandhan.

By Yasmin Shabir