Lunar shadow looms on Rakhi

Depending on whether you believe astrologers and astronomers, you should not be tying Rakhi on Tuesday between 2.20 pm. and 5.53 pm, reports Veenu Sandhu.

This Rakhi comes with a rider. Depending on whether you believe astrologers and astronomers, you should not be tying Rakhi on Tuesday between 2.20 pm. and 5.53 pm.

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According to astronomers, there is a total lunar eclipse during this period on Tuesday. And astrologers caution that tying a Rakhi during the eclipse will do more harm than good.

“You should tie the Rakhi two hours before the eclipse begins or in the evening, after the eclipse is over,” says Dr Anita Arora, lecturer, India Council of Astrological Sciences. Another astrologer, Dr Mukesh Jain, says sisters should tie Rakhi to their brothers only before 2.30 pm.

Alarm bells are being sounded even though the lunar eclipse will not be visible in North India. It will be visible over the Americas, the Pacific, eastern Asia, and Australasia. "It is an eclipse nevertheless,” says Jain.

Chandigarh-based Supriya Gill says she is not going to take the risk. "I will apply teeka to my brother but not tie a Rakhi,” she says. Manjari Sawhney, a Delhi-based housewife, has also asked her daughter not to tie the Rakhi.

Arora, however, advises people not to panic. "Do not let the eclipse overshadow the festival. As long as you don’t tie the Rakhi during the eclipse, it’s fine," she says.