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News18
5 days ago
- Politics
- News18
The Symbolism Of Sindoor: Analysing The Operation That Checkmated Pakistan
Last Updated: The beauty, the splendour, the glory, the auspiciousness: the symbol has spoken from our collective psyche Every symbol has three layers of interpretation, said Roland Barthes. I think I have found at least five for Operation Sindoor. Let us see. The first one, or primary interpretation, is simple and straightforward: the colour of blood. It was a message that we would be kicking butt. We were ticked. They killed our men and left their young wives widowed. It left our blood boiling and turned it into hot Sindoor. We had to show them who the real man was, aka 56. But what is the hidden or secondary message? That too seems obvious, I think. Sindoor is the paste applied by Hanuman over all his body to express how much he loved Sri Rama. For Sindoor on her forehead was a mark of her love for Sri Rama, said Sita. No one will mess with her. I get this too. This is the in-your-face finger that is being shown to the Asura. They came and killed wantonly and spared the women only to use them as tools, as messengers to go tell Modi. Well, he heard, and he responded. And we heard too as the ear of his ears and saw as the eye of his eyes. That is the mythological, the religious, hidden behind the Brahmo, and the arrow of the sky, the Akashteer, another symbol and message. What is the third level, then? The ensconced one. I think it is the BJP, plain and simple. For, if you remember, the colour of Sindoor is both red and orange. And subtly, the puratana prateeka, the chinha of our civilisation, of security and dedication, is the party of nationalists. Sindoor and Bhagwa flow together. There is nothing wrong with it. It is an inspired choice, and I am duly impressed. Just because I prefer to eat Amul, not for its taste (which is excellent, by the way) but for its advertising. I will always stand by Prime Minister Modi for his marketing genius. The tertiary level, or the Tritiya Stara, here, is a subtle link with the party. This is why Mamata Didi did not acknowledge the Sindoor of her sisters that had been so unceremoniously wiped off their foreheads. She praised and mentioned only the military. But Modi, the modern Gipper, has scored a big one. With a symbol that, to most of us, was a Ritual. There was an ulterior motive behind all the advertising and the marketing, and it was the political. But wait, there is more. And I did not see it until more than a month later. There is here a new myth being built, the myth of a central figure, filled with fire in his bloodstreams, even though his mind is calm and still. The yogi who is invoking the flame. And I was instantly reminded of the first rik of the Veda, 'Agnimile purohitam yajnasya devam ritvijam Hotaram ratna dhatamam." Translated loosely, it implies, 'I adore the flame, the priest of the Sacrifice, the shining lover of Truth, the invoker of opulence and Light." What a genius! Did he actually know that he was turning himself into a tapasvi, a Rishi, with this flagrant symbol that hides so much more than it reveals? If he did, give him ten more years as poetic justice. For the man who picks the right metaphor gets the drone. If he did not, then the man is an artist of a high order. He is a master builder of narratives, and he has built it, Kubrick by Kubrick. We need narratives, in the land of Bollywood. We need the dialogues of Sholay and Mother India. They fill our national desire for drama. If someone understands this, then he understands our collective psyche. So now we have figured out the fourth level, that of movie-making, the quaternary, the chatvari. But wait! There is something more to this than mere symbolism. Something that transcends the representative and the metaphorical, the mythological and the cultural, the political and the historical. Sri Aurobindo says that the entire Veda is three layers of interpretation, trayortha sarva Vedeshu. The highest layer is bhadram, the good, the adhyatmik, the spiritual. For it is the colour of our collective aspiration. We are royally PO'd. We have borne enough bouncers on our helmets and our chests. We have been quiet all along and have smiled back every time they come hurtling at us with the red ball. I think the fifth level is our collective need burning a hole through us. We have had enough of having been played. We will be redder than Red China. We will be like Draupadi, who wiped away the Sindoor from her forehead when she was violated and her husbands did not stand up for her. We are done. We need a symbol we can cling to and hold. Where, as Sri Aurobindo says, the real is the symbol and the symbol is the real. Where our operation, surgical and clinical will never be over. We will keep cutting delicately with our scalpel. We will watch you bleed a thousand times and will not flinch. We do not care. A wounded civilisation needs to be healed. And the price of its healing is blood. It is the thousand years of humiliation that need to be punched in the nose. Wash the wound with blood! But whose blood and why? Is it our reverse of Jihad? Isn't this what it was about? The dog whistle of Munir being answered by our own. And I am very comfortable with it. All that I would like is, while we admire it, we put its explosion to good use too. For the true value of Sindoor is not in its look of blood but in its ancient evocation of Sringara. The beauty, the splendour, the glory, the auspiciousness. The symbol has spoken from our collective psyche. But we must remember to remember this too. top videos View all We need to turn it into the real that it was meant for. Someday. For red is also the colour of transformation. Pariksith Singh is author, poet, philosopher and medical practitioner based in Florida. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18's views. First Published:
Time of India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Army carrying out trials for solutions to counter drone attacks, says defence expert
The Indian Army is carrying out trials for solutions to counter drone attacks , which were used extensively by Islamabad in its response to Operation Sindoor launched against terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, a top defence expert said on Friday. Pakistan had sent swarms of drones and loitering munitions to counter India's air strikes on terror infrastructure across the border to avenge the terrorist attacks on tourists in Pahalgam. "The armed forces are already doing trials for their counter drone solution ," Lt Gen V G Khandare (retd), former Principal Adviser, Ministry of Defence, said in an interactive session at the India Space Congress organised by SIA-India. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Semua yang Perlu Anda Ketahui Tentang Limfoma Limfoma Pelajari India had repulsed a series of drone attacks launched by Pakistan using its home-built Akashteer air defence system , which has emerged as the key line of defence in warfare. Lt Gen Khandare (retd) said neither the Indian Army nor the Indian Air Force pilots crossed the border during Operation Sindoor, but were still successful in causing devastation on identified targets inside Pakistan. Live Events He, however, said the emerging use of technology in warfare does not diminish the importance of having "boots on the ground". "The Army will continue to do its land operations. You can keep punching somebody, but unless you go and stand on his (enemy) ground, it is not yours. So boots on the ground will determine who owns that particular area," Lt Gen Khandare (retd) said. "That is the leverage that will happen subsequently. If you do not go and capture that land you will have a defeated country promoting somebody as Field Marshal," he added. "As we strive toward the vision of Viksit Bharat, it is equally important to ensure Surakshit Bharat so balancing development with deterrence is essential to maintaining our national momentum and safeguarding our trajectory in the face of evolving global dynamics whether it's the integration of tri-services or broader national-level frameworks, space domain is becoming indispensable across all domains civil, military, and strategic," Lt Gen Khandare (retd) said.
The Print
11-06-2025
- The Print
CISC Air Marshal Dixit sums up Op Sindoor lessons—traditional battlefield ideas ‘irrelevant'
Speaking at a seminar on surveillance and electro-optics, jointly organised by the Centre for Air Power Studies (CAPS) and Indian Military Review (IMR) in the national capital, he emphasised that modern surveillance capabilities must now allow the military to detect, track and identify threats while they are still in staging areas, airfields or bases deep within adversary territory. 'When weapons can strike targets hundreds of kilometres away with pinpoint accuracy, the classical ideas of front, rear, and flanks become irrelevant. The front of the theatre merges into one,' he said. 'This new reality demands that we extend our surveillance envelope far beyond what previous generations could have imagined.' New Delhi: Traditional battlefield concepts such as frontlines, depth areas, and rear zones are no longer relevant in an era defined by long-range precision strikes and real-time surveillance, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (CISC) Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit said Wednesday. 'This existed as a concept earlier, but today we have the means to realise it,' he said. Speaking on the achievements of Operation Sindoor, he said, 'The operation had clearly demonstrated that indigenous innovation, when properly harnessed, can match and even exceed international benchmarks.' He added that at the core of the success was IAF's Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS), which was also synced and integrated with the Army's Akashteer system, providing a joint and integrated approach to the air defence of the nation. 'In modern warfare, information without the ability to act upon it rapidly is of limited value. IACCS compressed our sensor-to-shooter timelines dramatically, enabling responses that outpaced adversary decision cycles,' said Air Marshal Dixit. 'The result was clear—not a single Pakistani aircraft breached our airspace, while our precision strikes successfully degraded their AD capabilities and aerial infrastructure. This success was not accidental but the result of years of indigenous development, rigorous testing and continuous refinement and demonstrated the importance of self-reliance in national security.' On the lessons from the conflict early last month, Air Marshal Dixit emphasised that the operation reaffirmed the centrality of surveillance in modern conflict. 'Operation Sindoor demonstrated how modern warfare has fundamentally altered the relationship between distance and vulnerability. Precision-guided munitions like SCALP, BrahMos and HAMMER, as well as beyond visual range air-to-air and supersonic ground-attack missiles, have rendered geographical barriers nearly meaningless.' He added, 'When hypersonic missiles travel hundreds of kilometres in minutes, and drone swarms reach targets before decisions can be made, real-time or near-real-time surveillance becomes not just helpful, but critical for survival.' Drawing parallels from recent global conflicts, including between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Russia and Ukraine, and Israel and Hamas, Air Marshal Dixit noted that superior situational awareness has consistently tipped the balance in favour of the side with better eyes on the battlefield. He further underlined the emerging role of space-based assets and emerging technologies in enhancing India's surveillance architecture. He further highlighted the foresight of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) in enabling private sector participation, especially through the transfer of Optical Imaging System technology. 'This has already resulted in compact, long-range surveillance platforms that increase operational flexibility. I urge companies to see themselves not just as vendors, but as partners in national security,' he said. Looking at the future, he added that India's existing MALE (Medium Altitude Long Endurance) and HALE (High Altitude Long Endurance) platforms, and MQ-9, Rustom and TAPAS unmanned aerial vehicles, must evolve with modular payloads, advanced sensor fusion and artificial intelligence-assisted analysis to provide battlefield commanders with timely, actionable intelligence. Lt Gen Vineet Gaur, director general (capability development), who was also present at the event highlighted that, of the 52 spy satellites that India is expected to launch in the coming years, 31 will be built by private sector firms. 'This marks a shift in our approach to defence modernisation, one that is faster, more agile and more collaborative with the private industry,' he said. 'These satellites will be equipped with cutting-edge camera lenses, advanced sensors and a suite of modern technologies to enhance India's situational awareness and defence preparedness.' He also emphasised the prioritisation of underwater surveillance, especially in light of Chinese naval activity in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). 'Our electro-optical platforms must be all-weather and all-domain. Cyber resilience and a common data language are also key for interoperability.' Air Vice Marshal Tejpal Singh, assistant chief of air staff (plans), who was also part of the panel, emphasised the critical role of advanced surveillance and technology in modern warfare. He further noted that enhanced battlefield imagery and robust monitoring systems have become essential to operational effectiveness. 'We need to integrate our surveillance systems in the same way our air defence systems are integrated. Only then can we achieve true synergy and interoperability,' he said. (Edited by Sanya Mathur) Also Read: Defence ministry plans own Raisina Dialogue-style conference—Ran Samvad, likely to be held in August
India Today
08-06-2025
- Business
- India Today
PM Modi 3.0: A resounding mandate for a stronger, bolder, rising Bharat
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi took oath on June 9, 2024, for a historic third consecutive term, he didn't just make history, he shattered every political myth built by the opposition over the last decade. In a post-COVID world where no major global leader could return to power, Modi emerged not only victorious but undefeated and unshaken. In a country where no Prime Minister in the last 50 years had achieved three consecutive terms, the people once again placed their full trust in one man, Narendra Modi 3.0, India's internal and external security has undergone a tectonic shift. The days of reacting to terror with dossiers and diplomatic notes are over. Today, terror is answered with tactical precision and overwhelming force. The world watched as Operation Sindoor redefined India's war doctrine. Nine cross-border terror hubs, linked to 25 years of attacks on India and other nations, were dismantled. Over 100 terrorists were neutralised. This was not mere retribution; it was a clear change in India's war doctrine: India now treats any act of terror as an act of war. This transformation was further strengthened by the deployment of indigenously built defence systems like Akashteer, a symbol of India's growing military self-reliance. Defence exports, which were Rs 686 crore in 2013, have surged past Rs 23,000 crore in 2025, with more than 90 countries now sourcing India's defence technology. India is no longer just a defender but a global supplier of milestones have followed in step with these security achievements. What past regimes promised for 2047, Modi 3.0 delivered in 2025. India is now a $4 trillion economy, the world's fourth-largest, proving that with vision and resolve, timelines can be compressed and milestones accelerated. Foreign exchange reserves have soared to $700 billion, reflecting deep financial resilience. The Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) stands at a 10-month high, signaling robust industrial growth. In a move that stunned critics and delighted the masses, the Union Budget abolished income tax for incomes up to Rs 12 lakh, a historic relief to India's middle class, igniting a surge in consumption, savings, and investment. This growing economic strength translated into unprecedented political success. In state after state, the BJP-led NDA expanded its footprint, demolishing long-standing political strongholds and rewriting electoral history, all fought and won under Prime Minister Modi's leadership. In Maharashtra, the alliance secured over 79% of assembly seats, reaffirming its grip over India's industrial powerhouse. In Haryana, the BJP achieved the unprecedented feat of forming the government for a third consecutive term. Perhaps the most symbolic breakthrough came in Delhi, where the BJP returned to power after 27 years, ending decades of politics built on populism, freebies, and false promises. These victories were not isolated regional wins; they were united national endorsements for Modi's leadership, fought in his name and sealed by the people's Modi 3.0 government has also demonstrated political strength by passing some of the most contentious bills in recent history with absolute authority and without disruption in both Houses of Parliament. The Waqf Amendment Bill, long suppressed under layers of political appeasement, was decisively enacted to restore land rights and dignity to neglected Muslim sects, especially Muslim women, ending decades of the bold announcement of a nationwide Caste Census alongside the decadal census, Modi 3.0 shattered the status quo. Previous regimes merely exploited the caste census as a cynical vote-bank tool; this government seized it as a powerful instrument for data-driven governance, evidence-based policymaking, and true social empowerment, boldly moving beyond divisive politics.A major step towards long-term reform came when the Cabinet approved the long-pending One Nation, One Election proposal. This reform, long overdue, promises to eliminate policy stagnation, reduce election costs, and ensure smoother governance nationwide. Only a government with political will and a long-term vision could push this internal security story is no less remarkable. Once infamous as a Left-Wing Extremism hub, Bastar is now nearly free from Naxal terror. Through a combination of precise operations, development initiatives, and inclusive governance, the government has broken the backbone of the red corridor. The promise to make India entirely Naxal-free is no longer a slogan, it is rapidly becoming a reality. The number of LWE-affected districts reduced from 126 to 90 in April 2018, 70 in July 2021, and further to 38 in April 2024. Out of the total Naxalism-affected districts, the number of the most affected districts has been reduced from 12 to projects, too, tell a story of transformation. From the strategic Wadhwan port to the ambitious Polavaram Project, from the engineering marvel of the Chenab Bridge, the world's highest railway bridge, to the Z-Morh tunnel enhancing border connectivity, India is witnessing the largest and most integrated infrastructure revolution since Independence. These are not mere construction efforts, they are milestones in term is not just about continuity but marks a new high watermark in India's journey. Modi 3.0 is firmer in resolve, sharper in delivery, and more unstoppable in ambition. With unparalleled political capital, global credibility, and the unshakable trust of the people, this government is rewriting the rules of governance, redefining national security, and reimagining India's opposition leaders were saying that Modi 3.0 wouldn't match the momentum of his earlier terms. But PM Modi 3.0 emerges as a resounding mandate for a stronger, bolder, rising Bharat has proven otherwise, emerging as a more assertive, far-reaching, and visionary phase of leadership. With greater political consolidation, bold reforms, and a renewed national agenda, this third term is not just continuing the legacy but accelerating it, reaffirming the people's enduring trust in Modi's leadership.(Pradeep Bhandari is the national spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party.) (Views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author)Must Watch
India.com
03-06-2025
- Politics
- India.com
Why Russia's S-400 Failed To Counter Ukrainian Drones; What India Got Right With Its Layered Air Defense
New Delhi: On June 1, 2025, the world witnessed an eye-opening breach of Russia's military defenses. Launched from inside hidden containers, Ukrainian drones penetrated more than 4,000 kilometers deep into Russian territory and hit multiple airbases in an operation code named 'Spider Web'. At least 40 Russian aircraft were destroyed. It assault left global military analysts stunned. But more shocking than the attack was the failure of Russia's vaunted S-400 and S-500 air defense systems. These high-end platforms, touted as some of the best in the world, could not stop a fleet of low-flying and autonomous drones. Why? The S-400's Blind Spot Russia's failure was not purely a technological one, it was strategic. The S-400 is built to intercept high-altitude threats such as enemy aircraft, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. But it falters against low-flying and slow-moving drones that often fly below radar coverage. Add to that the lack of low-level air defense, a unified command system and real-time threat intelligence and even the most advanced system becomes vulnerable. In essence, the S-400 was looking too far, while the real danger was up close. Having observed global battlefield trends and drawn key lessons from conflicts like the Russia-Ukraine war, India has adopted a more adaptive strategy. Instead of relying solely on high-tech imports like the S-400, India has built a layered and integrated air defense model. This strategy was tested and validated during the recent Operation Sindoor, where India not only thwarted a multi-pronged drone and missile attack from Pakistan but also launched a precise counterstrike that neutralised enemy radars, HQ-9 systems and terrorist camps. The Game-Changer At the centre of India's new defense posture lies Akashteer, a real-time and automated air defense control system developed indigenously. It is more than a radar. It is a command nerve center that connects the Air Force, the Army and the Navy on a single grid. Akashteer tracks, prioritises and assigns aerial threats to the most suitable interceptor, be it a missile, drone or gun, within seconds. Its key advantages include 360-degree coverage against drones, aircraft and cruise missiles, faster decision-making and automated threat response, seamless coordination among all armed services and reduced risk of friendly fire, Old Meets New One of the unsung heroes of Operation Sindoor was the upgraded L-70 anti-aircraft gun. Originally introduced decades ago, it has now been modernised with electronic fire control systems and target-tracking radars. These guns are now capable of shooting down drones and helicopters flying as low as 3,000 metres. Complementing this is the Akash missile system, designed to take out threats up to 25 km away. When deployed together in a 'battle grid', they cover both low-level intrusions and high-flying aerial threats – something the S-400 cannot do alone. Why This Mix-Match Formula Matters The future of warfare is asymmetric. From drone swarms launched from shipping containers to precision attacks from behind enemy lines, conventional systems like the S-400 are no longer enough. India's terrain and adversaries, ranging from China in the northeast to Pakistan in the west, require a multi-threat, all-weather and all-altitude defense approach. A single-tier system simply cannot cover such a wide spectrum. What also sets India apart is the growing reliance on indigenously developed systems. From Akashteer and Akash missiles to modernised L-70 guns and homegrown radar systems, India's air defense ecosystem is increasingly self-reliant. This boosts not only operational flexibility, but also economic and industrial strength. The ability to custom-build systems for specific missions, without relying on external supply chains, has become a strategic advantage, especially in a post-COVID and post-Ukraine world marked by global disruptions. What happened in Russia is a warning – expensive technology alone cannot win wars. Without intelligent integration, adaptive systems and multi-layered coordination, even the best platforms can be rendered obsolete. India's layered air defense, rooted in homegrown tech, joint-force coordination and rapid-response automation, is emerging as a global model for modern warfare. As the world is faced with new-age aerial threats, India's 'high-tech + low-level' fusion may just be the blueprint others follow.
