New Delhi, Aug 15 (PTI) The success of Operation Sindoor was the defining spirit at the Red Fort on Friday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailing the military action in his address, and special artworks celebrating it drawing huge crowds at the venue.
In his Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort, Modi said the Indian military punished the enemies “beyond their imagination”, referring to the operation carried out three months ago.
Operation Sindoor was launched 100 days ago by the Indian armed forces to destroy multiple terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) to avenge the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
Modi described the operation as a demonstration of India’s strategic autonomy and self-reliance in the field of defence.
“Today, I have the opportunity to salute the brave soldiers of Operation Sindoor from the Red Fort. Our courageous soldiers punished the enemies beyond their imagination,” the prime minister said.
Recalling the Pahalgam attack that claimed 26 lives, Modi said the entire country and the world was shocked and outraged, and Operation Sindoor was a reflection of that sentiment.
Modi described the operation as a reflection of the collective anger of every Indian against the brutal attack.
As the nation celebrated its 79th Independence Day, the success of the military operation and the vision of ‘Viksit Bharat’ became the defining mood at the venue.
Special artworks dedicated to India’s decisive military action were showcased as part of the celebrations.
View cutters installed at the complex near the ramparts carried the Operation Sindoor logo in a giant font with a floral artwork around it representing silhouetted images of armed forces personnel, symbolising them as guardians of the nation.
At the end of the ceremony, people rushed to click selfies with the artwork.
One of the two Mi-17 helicopters, which showered flower petals on the crowd during the ceremony, also carried the logo of Operation Sindoor.
Several Union ministers, members of diplomatic corps, senior officials of the armed forces — Army, Navy and Air Force, including many associated with Operation Sindoor — attended the celebrations.
Deputy Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Awadhesh Kumar Bharti, Vice Admiral A N Pramod, Director General Naval Operations, also attended the event.
Then Director General of Air Operations (DGAO), Bharti was one of the prominent faces of the DGMO-level military briefings on Operation Sindoor in May.
“Let’s celebrate and let’s be more vigilant. And, let’s be together,” he told PTI after the ceremony.
Guests drawn from different walks of life came wearing traditional attires or accessories reflecting the sartorial diversity of the country, while many others wore tricolour-themed clothes.
Guddi Kumari, a school teacher from Bihar’s Katihar district, attended the ceremony along with her son.
Her son took picture of her as she stood against the backdrop of a large banner bearing the logo of Operation Sindoor and a bilingual caption — “Rashtra Pratham, Nation First”.
“Every time we married women apply sindoor (vermilion), we invariably think of Operation Sindoor,” she told PTI.
The official invitation cards issued to the guests carried the logo of the operation, and a silhouetted image of the iconic Chenab bridge, an engineering icon depicting the rise of ‘Naya Bharat’.
The e-invitation card also carried a list of fundamental duties of a citizen as enshrined in the Constitution of India.
India destroyed nine terror camps in Pakistan and PoK with precision strikes early on May 7 in response to the Pahalgam massacre.
Shortly after, the Indian Army’s social media handles carried a message with a poster that has now become a defining image of Operation Sindoor.
The poster had ‘OPERATION SINDOOR’ written on it with a small bowl carrying vermilion (worn by married Hindu women) forming the first ‘O’ of the second word, while the second ‘O’ had a dash of the powder around it.
The bilingual — Hindi and English — invitation cards carried this image on the top right corner, while the silhouetted image of Chenab bridge, the world’s tallest railway arch bridge, sat on the lower side.
According to a recent edition of the India Army magazine ‘Baatcheet’ dedicated to Operation Sindoor, the logo of the military action was designed by Lt Col Harsh Gupta and Havildar Surinder Singh.
The Chenab bridge in Jammu and Kashmir was inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi in June.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal A P Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and Principal Secretary to the prime minister P K Mishra also attended the event, among others. PTI KND ARI
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