Following almost three weeks of bilateral tension, India and Pakistan finally declared a ceasefire on the evening of May 10, Saturday. India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire, with both sides agreeing to stop all firing and military action on land, air, and sea. However, Indian authorities confirmed that Pakistan violated the ceasefire shortly after it commenced.

As the world celebrates International Mother’s Day on May 11 to honour our mothers and maternal figures in our lives, let us take a moment to honour ‘Mother India’ or ‘Bharat Mata’, who once again rose to shield her children like a mother all throughout the past few weeks of escalating bilateral tensions with Pakistan. Who once again reminded us that we are Punjabi, Bihari, Assamese, Maharashtrian, Kashmiri, Tamil or Odia later and INDIANS first.

Why Bharat Mata is relevant today?

The concept of Mother India or Bharat Mata is deeply rooted in Indian culture. Mother India symbolises the unity as one nation despite India’s diverse cultures, languages, and traditions. According to an observation by the Madras High Court in 2022, “Bharat Mata evokes a deeply emotional veneration in a very large number of Hindus. She is often portrayed carrying the national flag and riding a lion. She is to many Hindus a Goddess in her own right.”

Historically, Mother India has been revered by freedom fighters and nationalists, as a mother figure instilling patriotism and national pride. However, even in the present day Bharat Mata remains highly relevant because she symbolises the nation’s unity, strength, and nurturing spirit.

In the recent period of crisis when the nation was endangered by an external enemy, Indians from Kashmir to Kanya Kumari, from Bengal to Gujarat stood together shoulder to shoulder chanting “Bharat Maata Ki Jay” (Hail Mother India!) praying for the country to defeat external threats and emerge victorious.

In the last few weeks we forgot to fight on trivial issues like “When in Maharahstra you should speak Marathi!” or “If you don’t speak Kannada why are you living in Bengaluru?” and came together as one nation, as an Indian first praying for the safety of our soldiers, praying for the security of our nation.

Operation Sindoor – Did Bharat Mata avenge her daughters’ snatched vermillion?

Bharat Mata (Mother India), who symbolises the nation, has taken various measures to protect its citizens against recent threats and military escalations from Pakistan.

Following the ghastly attack claiming the lives of 26 innocent civilians, India launched Operation Sindoor— a series of targeted strikes at terrorist launchpads in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), in retaliation.

The Pakistani attack followed India’s Operation Sindoor early on May 7, where Indian Military conducted missile strikes on nine locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK). India stated that these strikes targeted terrorist infrastructure linked to groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, in retaliation for an April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 Indian and one Nepali citizen.

In Pahalgam on April 22, a group of Pakistani-origin terrorists killed Indian men in front of their wives, which symbolises the vermillion being wiped off a married Hindu woman’s forehead. Through Operation Sindoor, as if Mother India avenged the removal of sindoor or vermillion from the forehead of her daughters.

Neutralising Pakistan’s Missiles and Drone Threats – Mother shields her children

On the night of May 8-9, India repelled a massive wave of over 50 drones launched by Pakistan in what appeared to be a coordinated attempt to target at least 15 Indian military installations. Major areas affected included Udhampur, Samba, Jammu, Akhnoor, Nagrota, and Pathankot, where the Indian Army responded with a massive counter-drone operation using advanced air defence systems like S-400 ‘Sudarshan Chakra’, L-70 guns, Zu-23mm, Schilka platforms, and counter-UAS equipment.

The Indian Armed Forces successfully neutralised Pakistan military’s attempts of a large-scale drone and missile attack on multiple Indian military installations across Northern and Western India during the night of May 7-8 and an Air Defence system at Lahore was neutralised.

While the nation resisted the attacks with efforts of the government, military and civilians combined, the mother stood firm behind her children reminding them to never lose hope, courage, determination, unity and patriotism.