An emotional Raksha Bandhan moment unfolded at Gwalior airport on Wednesday when women from Madhya Pradesh’s Ladli Behna scheme tied rakhis on state Chief Minister (CM) Dr Mohan Yadav’s wrist, turning his transit visit into a deeply personal celebration of the festival.
CM Dr Yadav was at the Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia Terminal for a transit visit while travelling to Bhind’s Malanpur industrial area to inaugurate Godrej Consumer Products Limited’s fourth unit.
MP CM Dr Mohan Yadav along with Ladli Behena Scheme beneficiaries
The women, who referred to CM Dr Yadav affectionately as their ‘bhaiya’, applied roli tilaks to his forehead before tying the sacred threads. They also presented him with letters expressing their gratitude for the additional financial assistance being provided under the Ladli Behna scheme as a Raksha Bandhan gift.
A bond beyond the festival
The Chief Minister responded by blessing the women and saying that the bond between a brother and sister was not confined to a single festival.
He said the relationship represented a lifelong bond of affection, trust and responsibility, adding that the sacred thread of Rakhi would continually remind him that every woman in Madhya Pradesh was part of his extended family.
The women said the gesture was a mark of their affection and trust in the Chief Minister. For Yadav, the occasion also reinforced his government’s stated commitment to the dignity, safety, self-reliance and well-being of women across the state.
CM Dr Yadav said the government was working with sensitivity to ensure that every sister could live with dignity, that daughters remained safe and that women were empowered to become self-reliant and pursue their aspirations.
Female CISF personnel tie rakhis to MP CM Dr Yadav
He assured the women that the government would continue working with commitment towards their respect, security, empowerment and prosperity.
CISF women personnel join the celebration
The emotional atmosphere at the airport became even more poignant when two women personnel of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) also tied rakhis on CM Dr Yadav’s wrist.
Ashwini Raskar from Maharashtra and Poonam Yadav from Rajasthan are posted at Gwalior airport and were unable to travel home for Raksha Bandhan this year.
Missing their families on the festival, the two women approached the Chief Minister and asked to tie the traditional defence thread on his wrist. CM Dr Yadav accepted their request, creating a poignant moment at the terminal.
The two CISF personnel became visibly emotional after tying the rakhis, their eyes welling up as the occasion brought back memories of celebrating the festival with their families.
A Rakhi with a message
The touching interaction at Gwalior airport went beyond the customary exchange of Rakhi. For the Ladli Behna beneficiaries, it was an expression of gratitude and affection towards the Chief Minister, while for the CISF personnel, it offered a moment of familial warmth while they remained away from home.
Another shot of CM Dr Yadav getting rakhis tied by women CISF personnel
The Raksha Bandhan celebrations thus turned CM Dr Yadav’s brief transit stop into an unexpectedly emotional encounter, highlighting the sentiment of a festival built around affection, trust and the promise of protection.