For Purnima, who lives in Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand, Raksha Bandhan is far more than a festival — it is the biggest business window of her year. She says her preparations kick into high gear a full two months before the festival arrives. What sets her apart is that she crafts every rakhi by hand, and keeps her collection so distinctive that a second piece like it is almost impossible to find elsewhere — yet the price starts at just ₹40.
She has a separate design ready for every relationship. There is a mangtika rakhi meant for a bhabhi, while for a brother she offers rakhis shaped like a Shivling or like Ganesh. It is this range that has become her signature.
Her Own Brand, Built by Her Own Hands
Purnima did not just learn to make rakhis — she gave the work the shape of a brand, and sells everything under that name. The result is that the two months of July and August alone bring her a healthy income. She is clear about the one condition behind those earnings: you must own a collection that absolutely no one else has.
The Real Key — Designs Nobody Else Has
According to Purnima, people shopping for rakhis are almost always hunting for something new and unusual. They want a unique thali and a unique rakhi, and that thinking is exactly why she created designs like the Shivling rakhi. Such items, she says, simply aren't available everywhere, so a customer who walks in tends to spot one and pick it up at first glance. Her advice is blunt: if you want to run this kind of business, there can be no compromise on originality of design.
The second big advantage, she notes, is that this line of work does not demand heavy branding or marketing. If your collection is genuinely one of a kind, you can supply it to local markets as well as to malls, where such distinctive pieces are in real demand. Beyond that, setting up a stall at fairs is always an option — just as Purnima herself does. At these fairs, she says, shoppers often spend anywhere from one to two thousand rupees in a single visit.
Instagram and Facebook Became the Biggest Channels
In today's world, Purnima refuses to overlook the power of social media. She suggests creating a page on Instagram and posting videos of your rakhis, and doing the same on Facebook. In her experience, this is where the quickest orders come from. She herself receives orders from cities like Bengaluru, Delhi and Kolkata. There is, however, one thing she stresses above all — the video quality must be excellent. Get it edited well, she advises, and then watch how the orders start rolling in.
