Latest news with #SindoorKhela
Time of India
11-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
The power of smidgen Sindoor
Sindoor is amorphous! When a married woman scales it from the top of the forehead to the middle of the skull along the tiny hair parting, it becomes a valley; flowing through it an impassioned route to feminity, the boat of marriage thus sailing by keeping the oar intact on its gunwale. Sindoor is applied by Hindu women, a de rigueur. Some apply it every day; a long stretch through the parting till the inseparable red pores start fading, and some do away with a shorter length. Many hardly wear it now; one could owe this to the hard-nosed imprecation of marriage, why then the need to sprinkle the perfumed garden? Husband is now the squall who sputters; 'Sindoor' thus becomes an 'objet d' art, magnifying its exuberance during festivities like Karvachauth where married women therapeutically indulge in their own 'Sindoor craftsmanship'. And not to forget the Hindu Bengali women who smear each other with Sindoor during 'Sindoor Khela' or Vijayadashmi. What is it that makes 'Sindoor' pervasive? Is it devotion to the husband or is it a celebration womanhood, or is in fact a blissful sanity accorded by cultural consanguinity? The ill-disposed are quick to respond, 'Why the dividing line of the hair is empty'? The old-rickety women who have nurtured 'Sindoor' like the strict lines on the palm offer no remorse and often nudge, 'it is a sign of prosperity, applying the red vermillion makes marriage a solid rock without any cervices.' I am reminded of my friend who during 'Chhath Puja' had the red river flowing from the forehead to the bridge of the nose; crimson sprinkled to form an arabesque singing the union of a woman with her belief to love unconditionally. 'Goddess Durga' doesn't leave my impressionistic eye either. The stark red vermillion on her forehead impinges an opalescent hubris. Look at the strength it evokes if stirring up a gaff and the chiseled idol scaled to characterize the red radiance. Aishwarya Rai, Miss World 1994 and a popular celebrity at the Cannes Film Festival, did the anomaly; rather it turned out to be exquisite. She appeared like a carnivalesque of a woman in a spiritual palimpsest of a 'white sari', an essence of peace and contemporaneously crowned by a fierce bold 'red sindoor' attitudinizing conjugality, a coup de maître! Will she wear it the next day? Hard to say! 'Sindoor' has become more of an appurtenance rather than a sine qua non for everyday deck-up. The shift has been imperceptible. The affluttered mother-in-laws' have become quiet as the new age daughter-in-laws' are now adroit to handle their 'sindoor synapse'; the husbands now wonder if the red streak of love planted on the forehead has irreverently unclaimed them? It's not that I have never applied it; yes, I have! And I have to admit it made me look different but nothing to do with who I am. It's been years now and it is asynchronous in my married life; its significance arbitrary along the scrofula surrounding the marriage masochism. However, there comes an accession which has made 'sindoor' anthropomorphic. It was wiped off brutally by the terrorist during the Pahalgam terror attack in 2025, and Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi did not accept the dark in whisper. The 'red' in 'Operation Sindoor' reflects the incandescent tempest that is ready to strike the malfeasance of the perpetrators who left many women as widows with their virtuous sindoor burnt forever. Can 'sindoor' ever be left bleeding? The power of it came down heavily on the miscreants, and 'Operation Sindoor' swallowed the currents of anachronistic hatred. 'Sindoor', with its adventurous spirit will always remain the soi-distant essence of a Hindu woman. Things have definitely changed, one hardly sees married women applying it fervently, and however, it still defines the indomitable spirit to create a crease of one's belonging and coveting the idea of inseparability. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author's own.
Time of India
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
'Staged drama': TMC MLA's remark on Operation Sindoor triggers row; BJP seeks probe
TMC MLA Narendranath Chakraborty NEW DELHI: Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Narendranath Chakraborty has courted controversy by allegedly calling Operation Sindoor "a staged drama," and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "playing with the emotions of patriotic people." In a purported video clip which went viral on social media on Friday, Chakraborty is seen saying to an audience that "the way they ( BJP ) have started this Sindoor Khela (game of vermilion), it seems that the entire episode is a staged drama. This warmongering by the BJP is nothing but a game. In Operation Sindoor, PM Modi has played with the emotions of patriotic people, including women." — SuvenduWB (@SuvenduWB) However, he later claimed his comment was "twisted and misinterpreted with an ulterior political motive." "I have high regard for our security forces, including the Indian army. Part of my speech was being circulated and twisted for an ulterior political motive to demean me and my party. As a citizen of this country, I have always been opposed to the sponsoring of terror by Pakistan and have supported the way our forces guard our frontiers," the Pandabeswar legislator told news agency PTI. 'His personal remark; we don't endorse it': TMC Senior TMC leader and West Bengal minister Chandrima Bhattacharya described Chakraborty's comment as a "personal" one, and said the party does not endorse such a remark. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like [Click Here] - 2025 Top Trending Search - Local network access Esseps Learn More Undo "Our chairperson (West Bengal chief minister) Mamata Banerjee , and national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, have already articulated the party's stand against terror and unequivocally supported our armed forces during Operation Sindoor. We are all united in this issue," Bhattacharya asserted. BJP demands NIA probe On the other hand, leader of opposition in the West Bengal assembly and BJP legislator Suvendu Adhikari demanded that the anti-terror National Investigation Agency conduct a probe to investigate if Chakraborty had "links with anti-India forces." Separately, a leader of the BJP's minority cell filed an FIR against the Trinamool member. In the FIR, the opposition party called for action against Chakraborty, alleging he had made an "anti-national statement belittling the valour and sacrifice of armed forces and encouraging Pakistan-sponsored terrorists to destabilise India". Operation Sindoor, conducted on May 7, was India's retaliatory strike on terror camps in Pakistan after the April 22 Pahalgam attack in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed in Jammu and Kashmir.
Hans India
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
'Op Sindoor' not over yet: Modi
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said 'Operation Sindoor' was far from over and warned that India would continue to exact a heavy price on those who sponsor terrorism, asserting that Pakistan has already been hit "three times inside its home." Addressing a rally in West Bengal since the launch of 'Operation Sindoor' earlier this month, the PM invoked the region's deep cultural and emotional connection with 'sindoor'. To reinforce India's hardened stance against terrorism, he referred to the traditional ritual of 'Sindoor Khela' observed by Bengali women during Durga Puja. "Now that I am standing on the sacred land of 'Sindoor Khela', it is only right that we speak about a new resolve against terrorism 'Operation Sindoor'," Modi said to loud cheers. He added, "On April 22, the brutal terrorist attack in Pahalgam shook the nation. The pain and anger felt across West Bengal were deeply understood. I could feel your outrage. The terrorists dared to wipe off 'sindoor' from the foreheads of our sisters. But our brave soldiers made them realise the power of that sindoor'." "From this land of Bengal, I, on behalf of 140 crore Indians, declare that 'Operation Sindoor' is not over yet," Modi said. "There was a lot of anger in West Bengal, too, after the barbarity committed by terrorists in Pahalgam. I understood very well the anger and rage that was within you. The terrorists dared to wipe away the 'sindoor' of our sisters. Our army made them realise the power of 'sindoor'," he reiterated. 'Operation Sindoor' was launched by India on May 7 in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. The operation involved precision strikes on terror infrastructure across the border in Pakistan. Asserting India's zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism, Modi said, "After the Pahalgam attack, India has told the world that if there is a terrorist attack on India, the enemy will have to pay a heavy price for it. Pakistan should understand that we have entered your house and killed you three times." While the PM did not spell out the details of the three instances, his remarks are being widely interpreted as a reference to the 2016 surgical strikes following the Uri terror attack, the 2019 Balakot air strikes after the Pulwama bombing, and the recent cross-border strikes as part of 'Operation Sindoor'. "We destroyed cross-border terror infrastructure, which Pakistan had never thought of. We have hit Pakistan thrice inside their homes," he said. In a direct rebuke to Islamabad's military establishment, the PM accused Pakistan of institutionalising terrorism. "Terrorism and mass murder are the biggest expertise of the Pakistani army, because whenever there is an open war, they face defeat," he added.
The Hindu
29-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Pakistan only a cradle of terrorism, has nothing good to offer: Modi
Observing that Operation Sindoor was far from over, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday (May 29, 2025) that Pakistan has nothing positive to offer to the world, and since its creation, the country has only 'nurtured terrorism.' 'We destroyed their terror hideouts; which Pakistan could not have imagined ever being possible,' the Prime Minister said while addressing a public meeting at Alipurduar in West Bengal. Mr. Modi said that soon after the partition of the country in 1947, Pakistan launched terror strikes against India. The Prime Minister also touched on the Bangladesh War of Liberation in 1971 and said that nobody can forget the Pakistani Army's campaign of rape and murder in Bangladesh. 'Terror and genocide are the biggest expertise of the Pakistani Army. The Pakistani Army knows defeat is certain if there is a full blown war; that is why they take the support of terrorists,' the Prime Minister said. Anger among the people Mr. Modi said that there was immense anger in the country and also among the people of West Bengal over the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22. The Prime Minister asserted that Pakistan has already been hit 'three times inside its home.' 'After the Pahalgam attack, India has told the world that if there is a terrorist attack on India, the enemy will have to pay a heavy price for it. Pakistan should understand that we have entered their house and hit them three times,' he said. The Prime Minister also invoked the symbolism of Sindoor Khela, a cultural practice in West Bengal. He said that he was speaking from the 'sacred land of Sindoor Khela. The terrorists dared to wipe the sindoor from the foreheads of our sisters. But our brave soldiers made them realise the power of that sindoor.' Mr. Modi said that the country worships 'Shakti and Mahisasurmardini (Goddess Durga)' and added that from 'the land of the Bengal tiger, this is a declaration by 140 crore Indians that Operation Sindoor is far from over.'
The Hindu
29-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Pakistan has nothing positive to offer; it is a cradle for terror says PM
Observing that Operation Sindoor was far from over, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday (May 29, 2025) that Pakistan has nothing positive to offer to the world, and since its creation, the country has only 'nurtured terrorism.' 'We destroyed their terror hideouts; which Pakistan could not have imagined ever being possible,' the Prime Minister said while addressing a public meeting at Alipurduar in West Bengal. Mr. Modi said that soon after the partition of the country in 1947, Pakistan launched terror strikes against India. The Prime Minister also touched on the Bangladesh War of Liberation in 1971 and said that nobody can forget the Pakistani Army's campaign of rape and murder in Bangladesh. 'Terror and genocide are the biggest expertise of the Pakistani Army. The Pakistani Army knows defeat is certain if there is a full blown war; that is why they take the support of terrorists,' the Prime Minister said. Anger among the people Mr. Modi said that there was immense anger in the country and also among the people of West Bengal over the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22. The Prime Minister asserted that Pakistan has already been hit 'three times inside its home.' 'After the Pahalgam attack, India has told the world that if there is a terrorist attack on India, the enemy will have to pay a heavy price for it. Pakistan should understand that we have entered their house and hit them three times,' he said. The Prime Minister also invoked the symbolism of Sindoor Khela, a cultural practice in West Bengal. He said that he was speaking from the 'sacred land of Sindoor Khela. The terrorists dared to wipe the sindoor from the foreheads of our sisters. But our brave soldiers made them realise the power of that sindoor.' Mr. Modi said that the country worships 'Shakti and Mahisasurmardini (Goddess Durga)' and added that from 'the land of the Bengal tiger, this is a declaration by 140 crore Indians that Operation Sindoor is far from over.'
