New Delhi, Aug. 27 -- The Rakhi may arrive on time. The gift may be delivered. A video call may connect two homes separated by thousands of kilometres. But sometimes, what siblings miss most is not the Rakhi itself. It is the hand that ties it, sitting together, arguing over gifts, preparing food, remembering childhood and turning an ordinary day into a festival.

For siblings separated by cities and countries, Raksha Bandhan is increasingly becoming a celebration of love carried through courier packets, online orders and phone screens, a festival where technology helps bridge the distance, but cannot quite erase it.

Homemaker Dipti Chandra, who lives in Delhi while her brother is based in Bihar, has been celebrating Raksha Bandhan away ...