Ek Chutki Sindoor Ki Keemat

OPERATION SINDOOR, what an apt name for an unprecedented operation, its symbolism was not lost on anyone when two lady officers, of the Indian Armed Forces, one a Muslim and the other a Hindu,  accompanied the External Affairs Secretary for the press briefing, after the execution of the precision strikes by India on Pak terror camps and headquarters in Pak Occupied Kashmir as also in Pak Punjab. We all have heard and watched the electronic media describing the actual operation and its endless analysis, where most of the experts have elaborated on this act as one of retribution or ‘badla’. More on this aspect of ‘revenge’ later. But first we need to focus on the significance of this ‘vermillion’, which is such an integral part of our culture. It is not a mere coloured powder, it is a sign of the rich tradition of unwavering commitment to the betrothed, not just for one, but multiple lives.

Married women adorn themselves with Sindoor is common knowledge, the practice dates back to Ramayana  days, when Mata Sita put it to please Bhagwan Ram, watching this Hanuman ji, covered his whole body with vermillion goes the folklore. Idols of Hanuman ji even today is thus covered with vermillion and its application on the forehead is considered very auspicious. Although the feminists have been up in arms against this practice as an archaic tradition, signifying a lower status of women in society, but on the contrary, vermillion is  a source of  love, energy, devotion, integrity and strength. So much so that Bengali women celebrate Vijayadashami with ‘Sindur Khela’, while bidding farewell to Ma Durga after  the Durga Pooja festivities.  The terrorists and their backers did not realise the strength of this “chutki of sindoor”; obviously they haven’t read about Savitri, who took on Yamraj himself for the sake of her sindoor and forced him to give in and grant Satyavan, her husband the boon of life.

Now getting back to avenging the dastardly communal terrorist act of killing 26 men duly identifying their religious denomination, the fact that they reportedly told the ladies to inform the PM about this act, was throwing an open challenge to our nation. India had to payback as the 26/11 Mumbai attack days are well behind us, as demonstrated by surgical strikes post Uri attacks and Balakot air strikes post Pulwama. With the  traditional vermillion tilak on their forehead, and the blessing of “Vijayi bhav” (May victory be yours!), the Armed Forces under the able guidance of the Prime Minister have taken it upon themselves to teach the errant Pakis a lesson for life. Don’t mess with sindoor, it will wipe you and your country from the face of this earth. Our Western neighbour is notorious for not honouring any of their commitments which they have made, and they are known to lie through their teeth right since their inception. No wonder they don’t understand that for us Indians our word carries a lot of meaning. We believe in ‘Universal Brotherhood’, but also carry a big stick, when someone refuses to honour his side of the commitment. The nefarious designs of sowing seeds of discord amongst the communities by targeting only Hindus is not going to work, as since times immemorial, the inherent secular culture of our nation  is our biggest strength, it is a bond as strong as that of Sindoor. So watch out…