Bus stands were packed, with a number of woman boarding buses to Delhi and various towns in Punjab and Haryana to meet their brothers.

Markets were flooded with a variety of rakhis ranging from colourful silken threads to those made of silver, gold and decorated with diamonds. Most popular were rakhis sporting cartoon characters.

'Colourful rakhis, chocolates and famous cartoons like Tom and Jerry, Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters are in vogue this time. One thing is amazing that kids are themselves choosing the rakhis that they want their sisters to tie around their wrists,' Nitin Dubey, owner of a rakhi stall here, told IANS.

In Haryana, the state government has allowed all women to travel free on government-run buses Wednesday.