In India, war came dressed in feminist camouflage

When 2 pistillate officers of the Indian equipped forces – 1 Hindu, 1 Muslim – took centre signifier to denote Operation Sindoor, the authorities celebrated it arsenic a landmark infinitesimal for sex inclusion. The representation of uniformed women addressing the media from the beforehand lines, avenging the deaths of 26 civilians, each men, and symbolically restoring the sindoor (vermilion) of widowhood, was wide praised arsenic feminist iconography successful work of the nation.

The infinitesimal echoed a humanities parallel: during the 1971 Indo-Pak War, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was famously likened to the Hindu warrior Goddess Durga, a awesome of feminine powerfulness and nationalist resolve, successful designation of her decisive relation successful the instauration of Bangladesh. That invocation of Durga underscored however Indian governmental powerfulness is often framed done a gendered and mythologised lens, blending statecraft with spiritual symbolism.

But tin women starring warfare beryllium inherently feminist? Nation-building, arsenic feminist scholars person agelong warned, is not a gender-neutral project. It reconfigures women into roles that service its ends: sacrificial mothers, grieving widows, oregon militant daughters of the nation. Scholars similar Nira Yuval-Davis reason that women are positioned arsenic symbolic bearers of the nation’s honour and taste authenticity but seldom arsenic its governmental agents. In the Indian context, scholars similar Samita Sen and Maitrayee Chaudhuri punctual america that women’s nationalist roles person historically been framed not successful presumption of autonomy, but work to patriarchal structures. Therefore, the specified beingness of women successful nationalist oregon governmental spheres does not automatically equate to sex justice. Representation indispensable besides beryllium interrogated for its objectifying function.

Today’s subject feminism, successful which women summation visibility successful warfare zones, follows this aforesaid path: celebrating women’s quality to “be similar men” portion leaving untouched the masculine and patriarchal foundations of militarism itself. This tin beryllium observed successful Operation Sindoor, which projects the spectacle of 2 women successful azygous arsenic feminist optics, portion the publication they execute remains profoundly patriarchal, demanding women beryllium their worthy done masculine-coded nationalism.

Such feminist optics align neatly with the ideological model of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Founded successful 1925, the RSS is simply a Hindu nationalist organisation that serves arsenic the ideological genitor of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). It envisions India arsenic a Hindu rashtra (nation), advocating taste nationalism rooted successful Hindu traditions and values. Scholars similar Christophe Jaffrelot reason that the RSS fosters majoritarianism and undermines India’s secular fabric. Its paramilitary operation and accent connected subject and nationalism uncover its purpose of deepening the hierarchical and patriarchal operation of Indian society.

The women’s auxiliaries of the RSS – the Rashtra Sevika Samiti and Durga Vahini – bespeak and reenforce this patriarchal vision. These groups person agelong trained women successful martial arts and ideological devotion not for feminist liberation, but to support the Hindu rashtra. The aesthetics of Operation Sindoor – its saffron undertones, warrior femininity, and choreographed resoluteness – reflector this legacy. As Bina D’Costa’s enactment connected sex and warfare successful South Asia underscores, women’s bodies often go vehicles of nationalist redemption. The inclusion of a Muslim serviceman successful this tableau whitethorn look to awesome secular pluralism. But arsenic D’Costa warns, specified inclusions often service to legitimise exclusionary frameworks. Her beingness sanitises a majoritarian publication by casting number visibility arsenic impervious of nationalist unity, adjacent arsenic Islamophobic currents persist successful broader nationalist discourse.

Sindoor – the reddish vermilion pulverization traditionally applied by Hindu wives connected their caput – symbolises marital status, wifely devotion, and the perfect of the “good” woman. It besides invokes Goddess Durga. In Hindu Wife, Hindu Nation, historiographer Tanika Sarkar explores however nationalist sermon fuses the sanctity of the woman with that of the motherland. The precise sanction Operation Sindoor weaponises this metaphor: it promises to avenge breached marital bonds done subject strikes connected Pakistan, thereby “restoring” the honour of Hindu widows. Yet this cognition besides constructs a tableau of women rendered widowed – stripped of their sindoor – whose grief is appropriated arsenic nationalist fuel.

As feminist historiographer Urvashi Butalia reminds us, women’s bodies and symbols go “testimonies of war.” In this context, sindoor represents not what widows possess, but what they person lost: honour, status, and societal security. In the imagined redemptive arc of the nation, sindoor is not simply restored – it becomes a badge of nationalist virtue. The 2 women officers are formed not arsenic autonomous agents, but arsenic ft soldiers of a mythical motherland – extensions of the aforesaid patriarchal publication that has agelong confined Indian women to home altars.

What is celebrated present is not women’s liberation, but their assimilation into a militant masculine narrative. Militarised femininity is constructed to legitimise authorities violence, not defy it. It is important to debunk symbols and interrogate the hierarchies they represent.

What precisely is being applauded erstwhile pistillate officers pb a war? Is it the warfare itself, oregon the information that women are participating successful it, that is considered “feminist”? The sex metaphor successful this spectacle casts women into patriarchal frameworks wherever they indispensable emulate men to legitimise their agency. By celebrating these officers, the authorities co-opts women’s enactment to validate militarism portion leaving intact the structures that perpetuate gendered violence.

Feminist bureau demands that women specify the presumption of their engagement. Here, those presumption are dictated by the patriarchal nationalism of the RSS ideology. The 2 officers did not situation sex norms; they stepped into a pre-written publication that equates womanhood with wifely work to the nation. Their exalted martial roles service to naturalise militarism, adjacent arsenic they are packaged arsenic sex progress. The inclusion of a Muslim serviceman is not incidental. In the ideological beingness of Durga Vahini, non-Hindu women tin beryllium co-opted, truthful agelong arsenic they support the Hindu “family”. This token inclusion supports an illusion of pluralism, portion systemic marginalisation of Muslim citizens continues unabated.

Feminist movements person historically challenged the logic of warfare itself, not simply who wages it. If we judge that nation-building is inherently patriarchal, the solution cannot prevarication successful simply enlisting much women into patriarchal institutions. Instead, we indispensable interrogate the precise optics of nationalist honour that equate women’s worth with wifely symbols and martial sacrifice.

Feminist authorities successful warfare indispensable decentre militarism, prioritise civilian protection, and importune that women’s enactment beryllium recognised successful peacebuilding, rehabilitation, and policymaking — arenas wherever the lack of sindoor cannot beryllium remedied by bombs oregon bravado. True sex justness successful nationalist information would uplift dissenting women leaders who garbage to beryllium conscripted into patriarchal metaphors, supply worldly enactment to widows, and cull marital symbolism arsenic a proxy for authorities virtue.

Operation Sindoor whitethorn marque for almighty headlines. But down the illusion of feminist triumph lies an aged patriarchal script: women arsenic metaphors of the motherland, valued lone erstwhile they service its wartime needs. Liberation lies not successful militarised spectacle, but successful dismantling the gendered metaphors that hindrance women to nationalist rites – and expanding the meaning of bureau beyond the theatre of war.

The views expressed successful this nonfiction are the author’s ain and bash not needfully bespeak Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.