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Ayodhya: Amid a surge in national pride following India’s decisive military response to the Pahalgam terror attack, a couple in Ayodhya have named their newborn son Sindoor after the Indian military’s successful Operation Sindoor against terror hubs in Pakistan.

Soni Kanojia, a resident of Palia Shahbadi village under the Cantonment Police Station, gave birth to the baby boy on May 7 at the district hospital. Inspired by the bravery of the Indian armed forces, she and her husband Rahul Kanojia chose to name their son after Operation Sindoor.

Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7, was India’s swift retaliatory strike targeting nine terror infrastructures in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir (PoK). The mission followed the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, where 25 tourists and a local were killed in a brutal ambush at Baisaran meadow in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.

Meera Gautam, a staff nurse at the Ayushman Ward of the district hospital, confirmed that five babies were born on May 7 including Kanojias’ who chose to name their child after the operation.

Talking about the motivation behind the name, Rahul Kanojia said, “I was moved by the courage shown by our forces during Operation Sindoor, which avenged the martyrdom of innocent civilians in Pahalgam. We decided to name our son Sindoor in honour of their sacrifice. I want him to grow up and serve the nation in uniform.”

Operation Sindoor refers to the vermilion that married Hindu women wear on their foreheads or in the parting of their hair to signify their marital status.

The sentiment surrounding Operation Sindoor has resonated across Uttar Pradesh. In Kushinagar, 17 baby girls born on May 10 and 11 were named Sindoor by their families in a homage to the military operation.

Kushinagar resident Archana Shahi, who lost a family member in the attack, said, “Operation Sindoor is not just a name, it’s an emotion. So many women were widowed that day. Naming our daughter Sindoor is our way of honoring the bravery of our forces and the memory of those we lost.”