Outside the Naperville Police Department, Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh volunteers honored first responders with a tradition from the Hindu festival of Raksha Bandhan on Monday, Aug. 10.
“Raksha means protection, and bandhan means a band, a protection band. So we are going to essentially meet our first responders of Naperville fire, police, paramedics, and offer our gratitude for protecting us, our community,” said Amit Maheshwari, an HSS volunteer and event organizer.
Expanding Raksha Bandhan to public safety officers
Traditionally a festival celebrating the bond between brothers and sisters, the Naperville-Aurora HSS chooses to expand their celebration to show appreciation for first responders and public officials.
“We are all connected and the gratitude that we want to express to our first responders, fire, police is an extension of that,” Maheshwari said. “First responders protect us. As citizens, we have the responsibility to support them, and you know, take care of our community and make it stronger.”
Celebrating protection offered by first responders
Middle and high school HSS volunteers and their families attended to tie rakhi bracelets onto the wrists of first responders and thank them.
“When the children come here and tie the Raksha Bandhan, they understand the value of respect, the value of gratitude. They practice it, and the value of selfless service. So this is the day where they are able to come forward and say thank you and express our gratitude of first responders and live it,” Maheshwari said.
The HSS volunteers shared that Raksha Bandhan is a celebration of the bond of care, protection and respect between brothers and sisters.
“Those tenets of care, protection, respect… It really struck me,” said Naperville Police Chief Jason Arres. “I mean, that’s what public safety is, right? That’s why we get into this profession is to take care of and care for people, protect them, and then do it with a high level of respect for human beings.”
A bond between HSS and Naperville police and firefighters
Since the tradition started in 2008, Naperville Fire Chief Mark Puknaitis has attended each year and said he values the relationship that has grown.
“This isn’t just a thing to check off. It’s something that really means a lot. And I got all these bracelets on my wrist to signify the many years that they’ve come out, and we really appreciate that,” Puknaitis said.
“It may be a simple thread, but it’s a powerful bond of protection,” Maheshwari said.
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