Take, for example, Anmol Rakhi. XPS Cargo Service, a division of the Transport Corporation of India (TCI), has come up with this unique service, which offers to send your rakhi, a dori, sachets of roti and chawal, a best wishes card, all in a handcrafted wooden box, and gift-wrapped, all for Rs 150 in India and Rs 1,000 anywhere overseas. The order can also be placed through Internet at www.anmolrakhi.com.

Says K Prabhakar, CEO, XPS Cargo Services, "The service is a unique one and what is more, the rakhi can be delivered in one day. We have already tied with some stores and are tying up with more."

E-commerce portals, too, have decided to step in and celebrate brotherhood via the Net. Homeindia.com, the e-commerce portal with a focus on services for NRIs, is launching the Reverse Gifting Facility on Raksha Bandhan. Using this service, an Indian can now send gifts to families or friends in the US. The payments for these gifts can be made in Indian rupees. The products that can be sent range from ladoos and rasagullas to watches and saris.

For the more traditional-mined, a Raksha Bandhan decorative thali holding a rakhi, a mini coconut, rice, kumkum and a scroll with a message from the sister will costs a mere Rs 395 worldwide.

Deepankar Sen, vice-president, Homeindia. com, explains the unique gifting system. "From order to delivery, all steps in the logistics cycle are tracked by a sophisticated software system. This ensures timely delivery of the gifts. The company has tie-ups with leading courier and delivery companies and has developed its own methodologies for the specialised handling needed for its varied product range."

A Hindi portal, webdunia.com, has an online rakhi catalogue, which includes handmade ones in the best traditional styles, made from an ensemble of cotton, silk, and zari, embellished with real pearls and soft feathers, which make for a stunning offering. The parcel consists of a bamboo-work tray with traditional sindoor aesthetically packaged along with a compact sweet basket of sohan paapdi. The facility is available not only for a netizen with a credit card, but others may benefit from it by paying through cheque or demand draft. "This initiative is a step toward bringing the global Hindi community closer," intones, Vinay Chhajlani, CEO, Webdunia.com.TNT, one of the global express distributors, helps a sister to reach out to her brother living overseas by sending an attractively packaged rakhi. A call to their office ensures that a representative visits the sister or any sender with a designer box.

Offline, too, greeting card companies are being innovative with rakhi this year. Vintage Cards and Creations Ltd, licencee of Hallmark Cards Inc. USA, has introduced 10 new greeting card designs in Hindi. The cards effectively portray the special relationship, which a sister has with her brother through messages such as Rakhi ki pyar bhari shubh kamnayein, bhai tumhare liye, sneh ke dhagon mein bune hote hein, priced between Rs 9 to Rs 33. Hallmark Cards has also come out with 48 new greeting card designs in English to celebrate Raksha Bandhan.

For those sisters who have the moolah at their disposal, Gili Jewels can help them in selecting 18-carat diamond studded rakhis. The company has come out for the third year in a row with specially made gold rakhis.

These are priced between Rs 3,000 and Rs 5,000. Shailesh Sangani, managing director, Gitanjali Jewels, said that the company is also associated with 10 portals. "So those sisters who want to gift a Gili rakhi to their brothers abroad or in India can do so from the luxury of their homes," says Sangani.