Shobhaa De | ‘Sindoor’ Was Modi’s Finest Hour: Next, Let’s Win Peace!

Ironically, I met more Pakistanis than Indians during my short stay in London, which, tragically, coincided with the “Four-Day War” that shook the subcontinent. Here’s the thing: Not a single Pakistani or Indian I encountered crowed or bragged about “showing the other side”. Nobody wanted a bloody, extended yudh. There was anxiety, fear, concern and pain being openly expressed, as we swapped scraps of news received from relatives back home. Nobody was paying attention to foreign channels presenting distorted versions of what was happening thousands of miles away. A Pakistani Uber driver spoke with tears in his eyes about the futility of such a war, and blamed the highly corrupt generals of his country for creating such a hostile situation.

He’d left Pakistan over twenty years ago. “We work hard here… life is tough… fortunately, the law is the same for all… it’s equal”, he said. “But there is zero equality in Pakistan. Our elections are rigged. Our people are unhappy and helpless. Imran Khan remains in jail, even though people love him. Nobody has a voice. We can’t speak up or complain. Pakistan has no money. When Pakistanis visit London, they can’t afford Ubers, like Indians.

You are so much better off in India.” As he dropped me off, he warned repeatedly against bag and phone snatchers. “Be careful, sister…” he gently added, “and look after yourself.” He waited till I crossed the road safely before driving away. That’s tameez!

“Operation Sindoor” was underway. My heart was in my mouth as I participated in a panel discussion on Shyam Benegal’s Life and Films, organised by the well-respected UKAFF (27th edition), ably steered by Pushpinder Chowdhry and her “Tongues on Fire” team. One of the organisers was receiving non-stop updates and live video footage of the attacks from her brother in Baramulla, where he lived with their parents.

Despite the mounting tension, she remained calm and went about her responsibilities with admirable fortitude. My concentration had taken a hit.

I was receiving frantic texts about blackout drills, sirens and emergency instructions from the family in Mumbai. It was hard to focus on Mandi or Bhumika (my personal Benegal favourites). Goutam Ghose, my co-panellist, calmly went through his presentation, referencing multiple memories of his interactions with the much-admired, greatly loved late filmmaker.

Mercifully, by the time I landed in Mumbai, the horror of those terrifying few days was behind us.

It has to be said loudly and clearly: this has been Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s finest hour. He was at his dazzling best as he took complete charge of the unfolding theatre of war. We are stuck with a dysfunctional neighbour hell bent on stirring conflict in our backyard, clearly instigated by sponsors: in this case, the devilish Chinese. Given Pakistan’s clumsy propaganda and amateurish disinformation, it’s laudatory that India kept its cool despite extreme provocation, and did not jump the gun (literally)! We patiently waited to present hard evidence to critics. This was imperative for preserving India’s credibility within the global community. We achieved it with absolute finesse and assurance thanks to two brilliant individuals in the PM’s team: external affairs minister S. Jaishankar and foreign secretary Vikram Misri. Mr Jaishankar’s hard-hitting line, “need partners, not preachers”, has gone down as a devastating snub to Europe for daring to tell us how to deal with the crisis.

But the most memorable put-down aimed at silencing critics came from the PM’s perfectly-timed visit to Adampur airbase, where he landed on the same runway Pakistan claimed to have bombed. He rallied not just troops but every Indian citizen. “I have come here for a darshan of our brave soldiers,” Narendra Modi declared, against the backdrop of an S-400 launcher, as the nation cheered. He followed that up with a loud and clear warning to our hostile neighbour: “Stop supporting terror or face annihilation”. Then came the chilling reference to “blood and water”, leaving no room for debate.

There were several psychological firsts during this challenging period.

Picking two outstanding women officers (Col. Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh) to lead the briefings on the Indian military strikes was pure genius: besides being an inspired tactic, it was a fitting reminder of India’s supreme confidence in its armed forces, never mind gender. “Operation Sindoor” may sound as melodramatic as an Ekta Kapoor serial from the 1990s… but it packed an unbeatable emotional punch, particularly in the context of a terrorist’s taunt to a young wife (“Go tell Modi’’) during the dastardly Pahalgam attack. The importance of scoring big in the psychological aspect of a military confrontation was underlined by Mr Modi’s unambiguous language: don’t mess with us, don’t mess with our women.

Two other politicians came through with flying colours during this dark period -- Omar Abdullah and Shashi Tharoor. Both of them demonstrated sober and mature leadership through their media interactions and interviews. Their emphatic and empathetic support of the Prime Minister, combined with a fine analysis of the situation as it unravelled, was a masterly lesson in non-partisan politics, where unity and solidarity during a national crisis must triumph over petty differences and accusations.

As things stand, India is being hailed for winning not just the perception war, but also the war. Our Army’s measured, conservative response, devoid of false bravado and chest-thumping, has won the world’s admiration. We are indeed blessed that our faujis remain one of the world’s most capable and disciplined armies. The highly calibrated strike near the Pakistani nuclear site at Kirana Hills displayed not just superior strategic methodology but also military sophistication and prowess.

That leaves one loose cannon still to control: US President Donald Trump. 

Perhaps he was hoping to use his self-appointed role as “mediator” to lobby for the Nobel Peace Prize, the most prestigious international honour, which all his money can’t buy. Playing broker comes naturally to this dalal of dalals. Just as well he was shown his place by the MEA when officials unilaterally denied Mr Trump’s role in the ceasefire. With the roaring success of “Operation Sindoor”, we have convincingly demonstrated our unshakeable faith in ourselves.

India is not looking for either a Big Daddy or a Sugar Daddy. We can fight our own battles on our terms. But yes… being an integral part of a responsible world community, we don’t believe in isolationist politics either. In an interdependent world, India has a huge role to play. We have gone smoothly from Incredible India to Inspirational India.

The hot Indian summer is here. Peace is so much sexier than war. Time to enjoy kala khatta ice golas, and just chill!