New Delhi: A plain, simple, red-coloured thread was once enough to symbolise a brother’s pledge on Raksha Bandhan to protect his sister. But girls today are on the lookout for a variety of threads studded with beads, crystals and even cartoon characters, as well as expensive threads with gold and silver motifs for the occasion.

The markets are awash with emerging trends.

Kriti Creations, a store in Khan Market, is offering a wide range of threads with booti, feng shui and chandan rakhis. It is also offering special sets and decorative thalis to add pizzazz to the celebrations.

“We have as many as 3,000 designs and the range starts from Rs.5 and goes till Rs.500. Every year different designs come and girls are crazy about wanting the best of rakhis for their brothers,” Mukesh Goel of Kriti Creations told IANS.

The range is wide and eclectic.

Frazer and Haws is offering stone-embellished rakhis and special rakhis like Hanuman Chalisa, Rangraksha, Omeya, Good luck rakhi and Morpankh rakhi.

Capital-based Delhi Haat houses threads from different cities.

Besides the usual resham thread, bangles and bracelets have also picked up popularity on the festival, but the charm of a hand-made rakhi continues to remain.

Most rakhis are priced between Rs.5 and Rs.900. But if you go for a silver or gold rakhi, expect to burn a hole in your pocket considering the current price of the metal.