Sentinels of Simari: One year after Sindoor, villagers try to reclaim narrative of normalcy

A river runs through it, dividing the village between India on one side of the gushing waters and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on the other. If Operation Sindoor has ground zero, it is Simari, where the sound of artillery fire still echoes for villagers trying to forget the memories of that night a year ago.

The army fired artillery shells across the Krishan Ganga river from this border village surrounded by high mountains to signal the start of Operation Sindoor on the night of May 6-7, 2025, India’s response to the terror attack in Pahalgam to eliminate terror outlets in Pakistan.

A year later, silence seems to have settled on the picturesque hamlet at the foothills of the Shamshabari mountains in the Tangdhar sector, about 180 km from Srinagar. Life has resumed its daily routine, but outsiders are greeted with silence and a certain distrust. Many walk away saying they only understand Pahari.

Simari is literally on the border of the country, with a population of 500 people and about 80 houses. Besides traditional mud and wooden houses, there are also about a dozen modern concrete structures. If it weren’t for the roaring waters of the river, people from one side to the other would literally be shouting to be heard.

The river is also a constant reminder that this is a divided land, both literally and figuratively.

And Operation Sindoor was felt not as news about what was happening to others, but as a firestorm passing overhead.

Ghulam Qadir is among the few who have spoken out, albeit reluctantly.

“We not only heard about the war, we felt it as the artillery shells lit up the sky,” Mr. Kadir said. PTI. Community shelters were in place for several days after the first night of bombardment.

He is proud of his village. Simari’s local secondary school has been designated as Election Booth Number One. A hand-painted slogan welcomes visitors with the declaration: ‘Democracy starts here’.

When asked how it feels to be a resident of the country’s last village, he said: “You must now understand that we are the first village in the country and the torch bearers of democracy in the country.”

Guardians of democracy

The school is a testament to Simari’s resilience. Although physically separated from the rest of the country by a firewall, people here see themselves as the primary guardians of the country’s democracy. The village is mainly dependent on the army units deployed in the area and many of them work as laborers for them.

As commemorations are held across the country to mark the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor, life in Simari is a delicate balance between daily ordinariness and the fear that the remoteness of their village could make them the center of conflict.

For Iqbal, the drones coming from across the border were more difficult to deal with than the bombardment. The army opened fire several times to prevent their advance. “Some intruding objects [drones] fell into our region. “These were successfully removed by the Army,” he said, praising the Army for providing all kinds of assistance during these turbulent days.

It is not easy to reach the village, which is 8 kilometers away from the Teetwal region, which was developed within the scope of the border tourism plan. Tarred roads are giving way to landslides and water flowing rapidly from the surrounding slopes.

The language spoken is Pahari and the culture and traditions are different from the heart of Kashmir or Kupwara district in North Kashmir.

India carried out airstrikes on nine terrorist infrastructures in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. Nearly 100 terrorists were killed.