On Raksha Bandhan, Siddhanth talks about the bond he shares with sister Shraddha and how they plan to celebrate the festival with their cousins, who they are very close to
Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; August 3, 2020)

Most festivals this year have been low-key celebrations, owing to the Coronavirus pandemic, and Raksha Bandhan won’t be any different. However, when a family is close-knit, people find ways to make the occasion special in their own way. Siddhanth and Shraddha Kapoor, who have been homebound for the last several months due to the pandemic, plan to celebrate Raksha Bandhan indoors with their cousins Priyaank Sharma (Padmini Kolhapure’s son) and Vedika (Tejaswini Kolhapure’s daughter).

“Raksha Bandhan continues to be special for us. We will all be home — Priyaank, Vedika, Shraddha and I. A lockdown is not a blessing at all, but at a personal level, this period has enabled so many families to spend time together. At an individual level, people have found the time to reflect on the bygones and think of what lies ahead,” says Siddhanth, adding, “As working professionals, we’ve had those times when one of us is away or when we have been able to move our schedules around to spend this day together. This year, we are simply happy to be together again.”

When asked about what he plans to gift his sisters, Siddhanth says, “I keep shopping for them throughout the year and gifting them things, with or without an occasion. So, that is never really a thing to think about; the idea is to have a great time together as a family.”

Although Siddhanth is the eldest, Priyaank, in a chat with BT, had spoken about how Shraddha acts like an aajibai (grandmother) in this quartet of cousins. Siddhanth says, “Oh! That’s right! She keeps a watch on her brothers like she is the eldest. At times, Shraddha talks and acts like a wise elder, who has the entire world’s wisdom. I have never had an elder sister, and she takes that place in my life on numerous occasions. She gives us gyaan, helps us make decisions and is always there for us. As for Vedika, she’s the youngest, and we all feel extremely protective towards her. As the eldest of the lot, I am the most protective towards all of them. Of course, at times, I behave like I am younger than all of them.”

In the course of the lockdown, Shraddha and Siddhanth were spotted grocery shopping together. They’ve also posted quite a few of their childhood pictures on social media. Siddhanth says, “We actually sift through so many albums, and relive so many memories even as we post one photo on our social media handles. I’ve just realised that as kids, hum log kitni nautanki karte the. And mom would always keep her camera ready to capture all of that. We can never thank her enough for that.”