‘My great-grandmother fought with Rani Laxmibai': Colonel Sofiya Qureshi talks about her legacy in throwback video

Hindustan Times

09-05-2025

In the wake of Operation Sindoor, Colonel Sofiya Qureshi of the Indian Army has emerged as a household name, praised for her calm command and clarity during the press briefing that followed India's retaliatory strikes after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. Alongside Wing Commander Vyomika Singh and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, Colonel Qureshi led India's narrative from the front, not only outlining strategic details but also symbolising strength, unity, and national pride.
But long before the world saw her at that podium, Colonel Qureshi's journey was deeply rooted in a legacy of military service — and, as it turns out, in revolutionary history.
A resurfaced 2017 interview offers a compelling glimpse into her background, where she revealed a powerful ancestral connection: her great-grandmother, she said, had fought alongside Rani Laxmibai during the 1857 revolt. 'I am a Fauji kid, so I have been exposed to the Army environment, and not only that, my great-grandmother was with Rani Laxmi Bai, she was a woman warrior,' she said. 'My grandfather, who was also in the Army, he used to say, 'It is the responsibility of every citizen to be alert and stand up for our country and with the nation.''
This multi-generational tradition of service has clearly shaped her values. Raised in a military household, she says it was her mother who encouraged either her or her twin sister to join the forces. While Colonel Qureshi answered the call through the Indian Army, her sister, model and producer Shyna Sunsara, beamed with pride watching the televised briefing. 'We are Army kids. Women couldn't join the Army back then but even so both of us wanted to,' Shyna said to HTCity, adding how Sofiya found a way: 'She'd say, 'Main DRDO ke through scientist banke Army mein jaaungi!' Agar nahin, toh she would've joined the police.' The girls come from a line of fighters for the country.
Furthermore, their family history reads like a timeline of Indian military service. 'My dad fought in the 1971 Bangladesh war. His father was in the Army, too. Humare chacha BSF mein thhe. Mere daada ke daada British Army mein the, who later joined the krantikaari ladai. Our daadi would tell us stories of him fighting in the Revolt of 1857 by Rani of Jhansi. Sofiya bhi Jhansi Ki Rani ki tarah bolti chali gayi briefing mein, woh uski inspiration rahi hain,' shared Shyna.
Colonel Sofiya Qureshi was born in 1974 into a military family in Vadodara, Gujarat. She completed her Master's in Biochemistry from Maharaja Sayajirao University in 1997. Currently serving in the Mechanised Infantry of the Indian Army, she was the first Indian woman officer to lead an Indian contingent at the ASEAN Plus Multinational Military Exercise 'Force 18' in 2016. She was also the only female commander among the 18 participating nations, alongside her husband.
As India watched her lead the Operation Sindoor briefing, few may have known that her presence at that moment wasn't just professional — it was deeply personal, woven through generations of courage, commitment, and quiet determination.