A girl checks out a rakhi at a shop in Patna. Picture by Ashok Sinha

Youngsters are spoilt for choices this Rakshabandhan, as the market offers a wide range of designer rakhis, cards and sweets to celebrate the occasion (August 21) with much enthusiasm.

The shop owners rake in the moolah as the festive day draws closer.

They are ready to showcase their creations. Makeshift stalls have come up along the main roads to grab the attention of residents.

Anant Kashyap, the owner of a rakhi shop on Boring Road, said the price of rakhi ranges between Rs 5 and Rs 200 and is more likely to increase. “This year, the preference for ethnic designer rakhis is more than for the traditional ones.”

The designer rakhis are made of contemporary creations while the traditional ones are designed with swastik, peacock feathers and stones.

Kashyap sells around 1,000 rakhis per day and is confident that the number will double before the festival.

Mukesh Kumar, another shop owner, said the children choose trendy rakhis over the traditional ones. “The children have a wide range of rakhis to choose from. Rakhis with cartoon characters like Chhota Bheem, Shinchan, Pokemon, Doraemon and Ben 10 are selling like hot cakes.”

Neena Chaudhary took her kids, Daksh, a class III student of Prarambhika School and Swastika, a Class IX student of Mount Carmel High School, to choose the rakhi. “I wanted their mutual consent while choosing the rakhi so that they don’t end up fighting at the end of the day.”

Daksh said: “I went with my sister to buy rakhi for me and I chose one with my favourite cartoon character Doraemon’s face designed on it.”

Apart from rakhis, the market is flooded with Rakshabandhan cards, gifts and sweets. One such item is the coffee mugs containing quotes and messages. Not to mention chocolate boxes, an all-time favourite.

For those staying away from each other need not get upset. Online shopping has come to their rescue.

Supriya Sinha, the second-year mass communication student of Patna Women’s College, said: “Online shopping has made it possible to make my brother, Ashish Anand, who works in Pune, feel my presence on the festive day. We have mutually selected a rakhi online before sending it to him.”

Ashish, a manager of a hotel in Pune for the past 10 years, said: “Though my sister sends me rakhi every year, it feels good when I get the courier from her on Rakshabandhan. It makes me feel that my sister is around.”

Online shopping also offers trendy and designer rakhis, said Megha, another student of Patna Women’s College. “The kind of collection I can get online is hard to find in the market.”

The courier services are also reaping good profits. Many girls send rakhis to their brothers settled outstation. Krishna Kumar, owner of a courier company at Punaichak, said: “We get 100-150 orders daily and the number is likely to increase in the coming days.”