I love the month of August, one because it is the beginning of everything auspicious, the beginning of festivals.
In the month of Shravan, you let bygones be bygones. As a young girl I remember my mother inviting all her married daughters’ home for a combined meal and gave them generous gifts.
My married sisters came home again for Pasli – a festival celebrated amongst Gujarati Lohanas. Pasli is actually a reversal of Raksha Bandhan where instead of the sister, it is the brother who ties a thread to his sister and seeks her protection and blessings.
Pasli is followed by Naag Panchami where the matriarch, my mother, sings to the Snake Lord urging him for the prosperity of her daughters.