Colonel Sophia Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh
| Photo Credit:
ANI
Between 1.05 am and 1.30 am on Wednesday, ‘Operation Sindoor’ struck nine terrorist camps in Pakistan and PoK, a fierce riposte to the April 22 Pahalgam massacre that claimed 26 lives, a number of them newlyweds.
The name Sindoor, chosen by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as per sources, is no mere code name — it is apparently a cultural lodestar meant to convey the country’s cultural ethos.
At the heart of this operation is a single image, released by the Indian establishment. It is stark in its simplicity, conveying that the gentlest of symbols can signify the fiercest of banners. A small, silver bowl sat upon a white cloth, its polished surface catching a solitary shaft of light. Within it rested sindoor — the vermilion that adorns the parting of a Hindu bride’s hair, marking her bond with her husband’.
In the image, a deliberate spill bleeds from the bowl, a thick, crimson pool against the white, implying blood. The contrast is apparently meant to convey purity marred by sacrifice, love defiled by cruelty.
The symbolism
On April 22, 2025, in Pahalgam, terrorists killed 26 civilians, including newlyweds and families, leaving behind grief and devastation. For many Hindu women, sindoor—a symbol of marriage—became one of mourning. In response, India launched Operation Sindoor, targeting terror camps in Pakistan and PoK, symbolising a vow to avenge the innocent.
| Photo Credit: @adgpi
For Hindu brides, sindoor is more than adornment; it’s a prayer, a promise. To lose it is to be widowed.
In Pahalgam, on April 22, that loss was writ large as terrorists murdered 26 civilians — newlyweds, families — leaving women like Himanshi Narwal weeping with sindoor-streaked foreheads and shattered hearts.
The spilled sindoor mirrored the battlefield rite of scattering vermilion on sacred ground — a covenant sealed in color and blood: that no atrocity against India’s innocents would go unavenged.
This imagery was followed by equally strong messages from Colonel Sophia Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh – representing India’s Army and Air Force.
“Operation Sindoor was launched to grant justice to families of those killed in the terrorist attack on civilians at Pahalgam on April 22. It targeted nine terrorist camps that were neutralised. The camps included indoctrination centres, launchpads, training camps,” Qureshi said.
Incidentally, the Indian establishment also made it clear – through the vivid imagery and firm messaging – that Pahalgam terror attack was not just another strike. It crossed several red lines: tourists were targeted, people were asked their religion and shot dead in cold blood in front of their families and in all there was a clear messaging.
Several visuals of grieving women, or those seeking help came to the fore post the April 22 terrorist strikes. Operation Sindoor is meant to capture all of that.
“The attack in Pahalgam was marked by extreme barbarity…. Family members were deliberately traumatised,” Foreign Secretary, Vikram Misri, said.
The Indian establishment also released footage of missiles surgically eliminating nine terrorist camps across Pakistan and PoK, clearly marking out that the strikes. It wasn’t cold steel against soft targets.
“No civilian or military establishments were targeted,” Wing Commander Singh told media personnel, ensuring it was precise attack on terror camps.
Published on May 7, 2025