Hyderabad:

'Sindoor' refers to the sacred red vermilion powder that Hindu married women wear in the (maang) parting of their hair. It is a sacred sign of marriage and the husband's presence in their lives. Widows do not wear 'Sindoor', making its presence a visible sign of a woman's married status.

The ritual of applying 'Sindoor' begins during the wedding ceremony, when the groom places it in the bride's hair parting as a mark of their union. In many communities, it is also associated with strength, energy, and feminine power, linked to the Goddess Shakti.

After the Pahalgam terror attack, many women lost their husbands, and with that, their 'Sindoor'. The operation's name, 'Sindoor', honours the widows of those slain in the Pahalgam attack.

The operation was named 'Operation Sindoor' by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a tribute to the women who lost their husbands in the terror attack.

Stories Of Loss Behind Operation Sindoor

Tourists were targeted, asked their religion, and shot dead in front of their families in Pahalgam. The horror was captured in heartbreaking visuals. One image showed Himanshi Narwal, a newlywed, still wearing her red bangles, sitting beside the body of her husband, Indian Navy officer Lieutenant Vinay Narwal.

Another video showed Pallavi Rao, who had smiled in a video on a 'Shikara' just a day earlier, crying for help after her husband, Manjunath Rao, was shot dead.

There were more such stories, Shital Kalathiya weeping for her husband Sailesh, Ashanya holding onto memories of her husband Shubham Dwivedi. “The name ‘Operation Sindoor’ clearly shows they stand with us, those who lost their husbands," Ashanya said.

On April 22, 26 civilians, including an Indian Navy officer, were killed in Pahalgam. Many of the victims were murdered in front of their families, leaving wives widowed and children orphaned.

The strikes by the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force targeted terror bases linked to groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba in places like Bahawalpur, Muridke, Kotli, and Muzaffarabad.

The Defence Ministry said that the operation was careful and measured, and no civilian or military sites in Pakistan were attacked. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval briefed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio after the strikes, explaining that India had acted based on strong evidence and only targeted terrorist camps.

The strikes on all nine targets were carefully monitored by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Sources said that Indian armed forces used stand-off weapons, drones, and precision munitions, besides other weapons, in the strike.

He said, "Operation Sindoor is the action taken against those who erased the Sindoor of our sisters and mothers in Pahalgam on April 22. The Indian Air Force targeted Masood Azhar's major hideout in Bahawalpur, where a training camp and other terrorist camps were targeted.

Defence Expert Captain Anil Gaur (retired) said that the operation was named to honour the women who lost their husbands in the Pahalgam terror attack and to honour those whose 'Sindoor' was wiped away by the terrorists.

Read More : 

Operation Sindoor: Indian Airlines Cancel Flights To And From Various Cities