Vijayendra Kumeria has made a strong mark with his performance as Sanyam Singh, the male lead in Colors TV’s Juhi Mui. On the occasion of Raksha Bandhan, the actor opened up about the changing meaning of the festival, his bond with his brother and cousins, and why emotional support matters more than being physically present.
Talking about the idea of a brother being the sole protector, Vijayendra said he believes Raksha Bandhan should not be limited by gender. He shared, “The idea of Raksha Bandhan lies in the name of the festival itself. For years, it has been associated with a brother taking care of the sister or protecting her. But I think the real meaning is anybody capable of protecting, maybe a guy or a girl, or a father or a mother. Not restricted to any gender. A person who can protect should protect.”
He further pointed out how women are equally capable of standing by their families. “Having said that, girls are no less these days. They’ve been supporting and protecting their families, their brothers, their siblings,” he added.
Vijayendra also spoke about his relationship with his cousins, who continue to tie him Rakhi despite living in different cities. He said, “So I have cousins who have been tying me Rakhi. Of course, because we are not staying together, we are staying in different cities. It is not very easy to be connected all the time. But yes, we are there in thick and thin. So they are a call away. I am a call away.”
Talking about his brother, the actor said their bond has remained unchanged since childhood. “And if we talk about my real brother, I just have a brother. So I have a great relationship with him; touchwood, it has been the same since childhood. Today also, I am his younger brother. I look up to him; he is my elder brother. He is always protective of me; we both are there for each other, and we know it; we do not even need to say that to one another. So it has been a great relationship since childhood and it will always be like that,” he shared.
For Vijayendra, physical distance does not weaken a sibling bond when there is emotional support. Since his brother lives in the US and his cousins are in different cities, he understands this personally.
“See, in today’s world, it is very difficult to always be present physically. For example, my brother stays in the US, I stay here, and my cousins stay in other cities. So yeah, the most important thing is that even if you’re not physically there, at least you know at the back of your mind that your sibling or your cousins are there to watch your back, and you are there to watch their back,” Vijayendra said.
He concluded, “Emotional support: whenever the other person needs you, you should be there. That is how relationships are built, and that’s the backbone of any relationship.”
