Rajya Sabha MP Sudha Murty shared a message on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan and explained how it is an “important festival” for her and the value a thread or rakhi holds. The Infosys Chairman’s wife also shared the story behind the festival, which sparked a debate on social media platform X, with users differing from her.

“Raksha Bandha is an important festival for me, where a sister ties a thread indicating that in case of any difficulty, you should always be there to help me,” she said in a video message posted on X.

Raksha Bandhan has a rich history. When Rani Karnavati was in danger, she sent a thread to King Humayun as a symbol of sibling-hood, asking for his help. This is where the tradition of the thread began and it continues to this day. pic.twitter.com/p98lwCZ6Pp

— Smt. Sudha Murty (@SmtSudhaMurty) August 19, 2024

The wife of the Infosys Chairman shared the story behind the festival and said, “It goes back to when Rani Karnavati (from the Kingdom of Mewar) was in danger her kingdom was small and under attack. She did not know what to do. She sent a small piece of thread to Mughal Emperor Humayun and said I’m in danger please consider me as your sister. Please do come and protect me.”

Ms Murty said, “Humayun did not know what it was…he asked what is this and the locals said this is a call of a sister to a brother…this is the custom of the land,” adding, “The emperor said okay if this is the case then I will help Rani Karnavati. He left Delhi but couldn’t reach there on time and Karnavati died.”

“This idea is when you’re facing a threat or in distress. A thread indicates that somebody should come and help me and it means a lot…” she added.

However, several users on X differed and said the story goes back to the time of Mahabharat and not post-medieval India. Users said, that during the time of Mahabharat, Lord Krishna inadvertently cut his finger while using the Sudarshan chakra to kill King Shishupal. Draupadi covered the wound with a piece of cloth. 

With absolute respect Madam, the origin of Rakshabandan dates back to the Mahabharata times.

Lord Krishna once accidentally cut his find on the Sudarshan Chakra. Seeing him injured, Draupadi tore a piece of cloth from her saree and tied it to stop the bleeding. Touched by her…

— D Prasanth Nair (@DPrasanthNair) August 19, 2024

Lord Krishna was touched by her deed and promised to keep her safe from any harm. During the Chirharan incident, when the Kauravas tried to shame and dishonour Draupadi, Lord Krishna appeared and protected her when no one else could.

There are several stories on the history of the festival including the story of King Bali and Goddess Lakshmi. King Bali was a staunch devotee of Lord Vishnu and he took the responsibility to protect Bali’s Kingdom for which he left Vikundam. Goddess Lakshmi wanted to stay with her husband Lord Vishnu. 

She tied Rakhi on King Bali’s wrist on the full moon day called Shravana Purnima. It is believed that since that day onwards it has become a custom to invite one’s sister on Shravana Purnima to tie an auspicious thread of Rakhi or Raksha Bandhan.

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today praised new Rajya Sabha MP Sudha Murty for her maiden speech in the House. Speaking during a discussion on the motion of thanks on the President’s Address in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, Ms Murty spoke about women’s health.

Quoting her father, she said when a mother dies it is counted as one death in the hospital but for the family, a mother is lost forever.

“I want to thank Sudha Murty for speaking in detail about women’s health,” PM Modi said as the philanthropist-author stood up and greeted him.

While referring to Ms Murty’s “emotional” remark on mothers, he said his government has focused on women’s health and sanitation as a “priority sector” in the last 10 years.

भारत ने नारा नहीं, बल्कि निष्ठा के साथ Women Led Development की ओर कदम बढ़ाए हैं: PM @narendramodi#ParliamentSession#PMModiInRajyaSabha#ParliamentSession2024pic.twitter.com/rN1bcquKm3

— MyGovIndia (@mygovindia) July 3, 2024

“Our country’s women have benefited from the toilets we have made,” PM Modi said while replying to a debate on a motion thanking President Droupadi Murmu for her address to the joint sitting of Parliament last week.

He also said they have provided sanitary pads and initiated a vaccination program during pregnancy for women.

Sudha Murty’s Maiden Speech In Rajya Sabha

Sudha Murty pressed for a government-sponsored vaccination programme to combat cervical cancer.

“There is a vaccination which is given to girls, between the age of nine to 14, known as a cervical vaccination. If the girls take that, it (cancer) can be avoided … we should promote vaccination for the benefit of our girls because prevention is better than cure,” she said in her first speech in Rajya Sabha.

ALSO READ | Over 3.4 Lakh Cervical Cancer Cases In India In 2023

The government has handled a very “big vaccination drive during Covid” so it may not be very difficult to provide cervical vaccination to girls in the age group of 9-14 years, she said.

Ms Murty, who was nominated by President Droupadi Murmu to the upper house on the eve of International Women’s Day, said the cervical vaccination has been developed in the West and has been used for the last 20 years.

“It worked very well. It is not expensive. Today it is Rs 1,400 for people like me who are in the field. If the government intervenes and negotiates…you can bring it to Rs 700-800. We have such a large population. It will be beneficial for our girls in the future,” she said during her 13-minute address.