Raksha Bandhan evening, Tuesday, August27,2013

Love, laughter, conversation and connection; the essential ingredients to make a successful spiritual evening get together in New York City a night to remember. To celebrate the month of Raksha Bandhan (a ceremony of the tying of a holy thread on the wrist), the Brahma Kumaris United Nations team invited 14 of its close contacts to take part in an informal evening of spiritual chit chat along with a small intimate ceremony in which they have their Rakhi (holy thread) tied. Traditionally, Raksha Bandhan is a festival that is celebrated in India and takes place between a brother and a sister, and symbolises a sister’s promise to uphold her brother’s honour and a brother’s vow to constantly protect hers. Gayatri Naraine, one of the BKUN representatives, spoke of how the tying of this Rakhi takes on a special meaning; we are all essentially tied into a bond of universal brotherhood and along with that, we are tied into a sacred bond with God.

The most memorable part of the evening, besides the delicious food and delightful company, is the demonstration of how powerful such a small gathering can be. Whilst most were strangers at the beginning of the evening, by the end of the evening, everyone felt they shared a connection with each other on a deeper level than they had even thought possible and left with these words on their lips: “We have to do this again.”

It just goes to show that what the world needs to bridge the gap between each other and along with that remove the mistrust and fear we place on so-called strangers by connecting with each other in some meaningful way. Starting with a simple smile to a loving gaze, the world is waiting to be tied with the threads of brotherhood, just with you. I personally cannot wait to connect to my world family in this way. So if you are ever walking down the streets in Manhattan and see a curly haired stranger smile at you, that would be me, just eagerly wanting to say hello to you, my family.