of appreciation.

This poem starts with Vikram telling his sister that he has forgotten the time of year her Rakhi was delivered to him. However, he states that no matter what time of year he received the Rakhi, some things will never change. They stay the same. After all, the Rakhi was a contract of trust between the siblings; Vikram tells Aradhana that he knows that it was a contract made with more parties than just the two of them. (Rabindranath Tagore is credited with popularizing the Rakhi festival for the purposes of societal unity. Sometimes a mother, daughter, or sister will tie the Rakhi around the wrist of a male relative.)

He places the Rakhi across his right wrist and struggles to tie it on with his left hand. He laments that he has forgotten half the sacred rites and that she should have been the one to do the honors instead of him. He promises her that he will give her his gift in '78. He says that the numeral representation of this future date of their meeting looks curious; he tells her not to be surprised if they meet as strangers when they next see each other. However changed both of them are, he is thankful that the customs will stay the same, bringing from the past the undying days of settled traditions they have come to depend upon.