The villagers chose to tie the rakhi (sacred threads) on a Mahua tree because of the sacred and important place it holds in the lives of this forest-dwelling community. Villagers in Mahan use the produce from the Mahua tree to make sweets, biodegradable utensils and liquor, which is then sold in the markets to earn money.

In a pledge to save the Mahan forests of Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh, from coal mining, people from across 10 cities, including Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, sent over 8,900 rakhis to the forest dwelling communities of Mahan forests. Over 1,000 community members including a large number of women and children from about 24 villages of the region braved heavy rains and tied the rakhis to a giant Mahua tree in Mahan forests on Sunday. These Rakhis were made by 98 volunteers from across 10 cities in India.