New Delhi, Aug 3 - If you haven't had time to buy something for your sister even though the festival of Rakhi is just two days away, don't worry. Just go online. And this applies equally for women looking for something for their brothers!

'I have had horrible experiences with these courier people. Once I sent a rakhi to my brother in Pune and they mistakenly dispatched it first to Patna and then it took them at least a month to dispatch it to my brother's residence and that too in a torn condition,' said Ratna Shrivastav, a software professional in Delhi's satellite township of Noida.

'After this incident, I dread sending him a rakhi via post. All I do now is go to online shopping portals. They sometimes come up with interesting rakhis and pooja thalis,' she added.

Raksha Bandhan celebrates the ties of love and protection between brothers and sisters and coincides with the full moon in the month of Shravan according to the Indian calendar. Rakhi is the thread symbolising this bond and is tied by a sister on her brother. In turn, the brother gifts something to the sister.

Online shopping portals have become a rage in the last few years.

According to Sundeep Malhotra, CEO, HomeShop18, an online shopping portal, education and employment opportunities have created a physical distance between brothers and sisters.

'Our aim is to bridge this distance and ensure that all brothers and sisters receive their gifts regardless of where they are in the country at the time. These portals are very convenient as people now don't have to worry about what to buy, where to buy and timely delivery of gifts,' Malhotra told IANS.

HomeShop18 offers a variety of gifting options for rakhi such as silver and pearl rakhis.