Ahmedabad:
With Raksha Bandhan just around the corner, a rakhi maker in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad city has taken the opportunity to package his products with messages to spread awareness about COVID-19.
Raksha Bandhan will be celebrated in the country on August 3.
Iqbal Behlim, who has been manufacturing rakhis and kites since 1980, put slogans such as “keep distance while talking”, “mask is must” and “stay home to stay safe” on his products hoping to create awareness about the deadly infection.
The 65-year-old claims that his rakhis with relevant messages are selling like hot cakes and reaching every corner of the country.
“Apart from the packaging material, I have also tried to print such messages on rakhi bands. Before tying these rakhis, every woman will remind her brother to wear a mask or maintain social distancing after reading these messages,” said Behlim.
This is not the first time that the rakhi maker chose to address a social cause.
Earlier Behlim had put up messages about female infanticide, de-addiction and boycott of Chinese goods.
“I hired 50 artisans to make rakhis and I have managed to sell around 15,000 rakhis with these messages every day,” the sexagenarian said, adding that online sales have taken his products to every corner of the country.
Business is booming for local rakhi makers after people voluntarily decided to stay away from China-made products, he said.
Appreciating this initiative, one of Behlim’s regular customers, Mukesh Bhagat said, “Such informal ways of conveying important messages always prove effective. Until we have a vaccine, only precautions will protect us from the virus.
