Why are boys planning to skip college on Rakhi - Relashionships

Raksha Bandhan : Why are boys planning to skip college on Rakhi:

While city colleges do not observe a holiday on Raksha Bandhan, most city boys consider it a holiday and stay away from colleges and private coaching classes on the day of festival as well as the following week — for the fear of being tied a rakhi by their female acquaintance.

Ashwini Deshpande, a college lecturer reveals, "Every year it is the same scene. On the day of Raksha Bandhan and the following week, the attendance of boys is very low. This year, boys have already requested me to avoid teaching important topics as they will be skipping the lectures this week. Even the boys who come for private coaching have told me that they will not be coming to class this week because they fear that the girls will tie them a rakhi."

Usually boys make it a point to meet their friends around the college campus even on holidays, but during the week of Raksha Bandhan, they make sure they stay away from any such place where they are bound to meet their classmates.

Sagar Kathe, a 12th science student, says, "We usually hangout at the kattas near the college campus even on holidays but on the day of Raksha Bandhan, we don't even go there for fear of being noticed by the girls." He further adds, "We also avoid meeting the girls for the entire week. The basic problem is that the girls start discussing whom they are going to tie a rakhi days before Raksha Bandhan." While some consider it as a big problem, the girls aren't complaining. Chaitali Karmarkar, a commerce student shares, "Last year we had tied rakhi to all the boys in our group. None of them objected to it. This year we are planning to do the same." As it is considered inauspicious to deny a rakhi, boys prefer avoiding girls on the day. Atharva Joshi, a third year arts student, says, "When a girl comes to tie rakhi we can't say no."

By tying a rakhi on a boy's wrist, girls put an end to a possible affair. A commerce student on the condition of anonymity shares, "I liked a girl and she knew about it. Only to avoid being taunted, she tied a rakhi in front of everyone last year. But after three months we got into a relationship. I felt guilty and felt I did not live up to the purity of that relationship."