Indian express company DTDC has launched a new gift option and online booking service for customers celebrating Raksha Bandhan.

The Hindu festival celebrating the relationship between brothers and sisters takes place on 21st August this year. It often sees a sister tying a special thread – a rakhi – around her brother’s wrist to symbolize their bond, with brothers giving gifts to their sisters in return.

With an increasing number of Indians moving away from home for work, education or other reasons, Mumbai-based DTDC said it has launched a new DTDC Raksha Bandhan Special service this year to help siblings maintain the festive spirit.

The company is offering a specially designed and secured all-weather pouch for customers to send their Rakhis worldwide.

The service is available in all DTDC stores across India.

The company said it has streamlined its distribution operations to ensure priority and timely delivery for the Rakhi pouches, providing additional couriers for last minute Rakhi bookings.

DTDC has also put together specially-designed Rakhi Packs for customers to send, which include the Raki as well as other symbolic objects and a greetings card.

DTDC, which recently attracted investment from La Poste’s international parcel subsidiary, GeoPost, said it has established a new online booking solution for customers to book their Rakhi deliveries online through the website.

“Extra care”

Abhishek Chakraborty, executive director at DTDC Courier & Cargo Ltd, said: “Rakhi is a symbol of the eternal bond between a brother and sister. We are sensitive to the fact that customers demand the very best in speed and security, when dispatching these wishes and gifts across distances. At DTDC, we are devoted to provide extra care and protection for all Rakhi shipments.”

“This season, along with the Rakhi Packs we have also launched shop.dtdc.com for specialized gifting options; in case a brother in return would like to send a gift to a sister and vice-versa,” Chakraborty explained.

DTDC describes itself as India’s largest express delivery company, delivering close to 11m consignments per month to more than 10,000 pin codes, with a work force of 13,000 people and a network of 6,500 franchise retail outlets.