MUMBAI:

Many Bollywood actresses like Bipasha Basu, Shilpa Shetty and Lara Dutta don’t have brothers of their own. But on Raksha Bandhan they tie the rakhi on cousins and friends who are like family to them to celebrate the bond between brothers and sisters.

Bipasha Basu: “Though I’ve no brother of my own, I’ve a lot of cousins. But they all live far away. So I could never feel like a true sister on Raksha Bandhan. The only person I tie a rakhi to is Venky, John (Abraham)’s makeup man every year for the last four years. He’s my only brother at the moment.”

Shilpa Shetty: “For many years now I’ve made Ajay Virmani (Akshay Kumar’s best friend in Canada) my rakhi brother. And though my equation with those around him has changed, I continue to religiously send him a rakhi every year. This year is no different. Thank god for certain relationships that never change! The bhai-bahen rishta (brother-sister bond) is one such.”

Malaika Arora: “No I don’t have a brother. And I don’t have a rakhi brother — don’t feel the need for one. But when I was in school I had lots of rakhi brothers to prevent boys from troubling me.”

Amrita Arora: “I have two rakhi brothers. My brother-in-law Arbaaz and dress designer Vikram Phadnis. I love having them as my brothers, love the special feeling on Raksha Bandhan.”

Lara Dutta: “I’ve two rakhi brothers, both in Bangalore. I’ve known them all my life. When I was younger, having a rakhi brother meant beating up whoever acted smart with me... my two rakhi brothers are even better than family. They’re part of my life, not by heredity, but because I want them. They’re not around to boss over me all the time. But whenever I need them they’re right there. So I’m enjoying the benefits of brotherhood without the bossiness.”

Koena Mitra: “I don’t have a brother but I’ve cousins. One of them in Kolkata is very close to me. So I send him a rakhi every year. But my rakhi brother is only 14, so what protection could he provide me? Ha, ha. In this case the sister, that’s me, is there for his well-being.”

Raima Sen: “My sister and I have gotten used to not having a brother around. We had a special cousin in Jaipur whom we sent a rakhi each year. He in turn sent us a gift each. It felt very special.”

Simi Garewal: “I miss not having a brother desperately. I tie a rakhi on my cousins Anil and Vivek Singh who are in Mumbai. Raksha Bandhan means an emotional renewal of

our relationship. It’s a reminder to them to love and protect me... just in case they forget!”