India: Qamar Mohsin Shaikh, a Pakistan-born woman, residing in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad after her marriage since 1981, ties handmade rakhi to Prime Minister Narendra Modi every year since 2001.
This year, Shaikh has prepared two handmade rakhis with designs of Lord Ganesh and Om. She is waiting for an invitation from the Prime Minister’s Office.
Shaikh was born in Pakistan’s Karachi and moved to India after her marriage in 1981. She has been tying rakhi to PM Modi for more than 30 years. She said she first met the prime minister in Delhi when she accompanied her husband for a painting exhibition.
Recalling the first meeting she told media, “Modi said, ‘how are you, sister?’… When I tied a rakhi to him for the first time, I told him that I prayed he would become the Chief Minister of Gujarat. He said, laughing, ‘I am happy with my work at the Sangh. Why do you curse me?’ After that he became the Chief Minister.”
“He said, ‘Your wish came true’… Then he asked me what I would wish now, so I said, ‘I pray that you become the Prime Minister of the country’… After that, when I tied a rakhi to him after he became the PM, I told him that I prayed he would rule the whole world… Now India has made a name for itself in the world, and it has happened due to his hard work… Now I pray that all his problems go away,” she added.
