NEW DELHI: Wars are about grief and valour and more often than not also about hard-nosed business. Seeing the glitter of gold in India’s nationalist frenzy, four Indian entities applied for the trademark ‘Operation Sindoor’, among them Reliance Industries.

On Thursday, according to The Hindu, Reliance Industries withdrew its application for the term ‘Operation Sindoor’. It explained that the application was inadvertently filed by a junior employee without authorisation.

It wasn’t inadvertent though that in 2013, business tycoons had created Gujarat’s controversial chief minister Narendra Modi as their preferred prime ministerial candidate.

The choice brought rich dividends: promoters got huge contracts, including one related to the French Rafale warplanes.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Reliance said it has no intention of “trademarking Operation Sindoor, a phrase which is now a part of the national consciousness as an evocative symbol of Indian bravery”.

“Jio Studios, a unit of Reliance Industries, has withdrawn its trademark application, which was filed inadvertently by a junior person without authorisation,” it said.

The Hindu said earlier four applications, including one by Reliance, were filed with the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks on Wednesday, seeking to use the phrase for entertainment-related services like audio and video content.

The Mukesh Ambani-run firm was the first to apply for a patent on Wednesday and was followed by three more — a Mumbai resident, a retired Indian Air Force officer and a Delhi-based lawyer.

“All four applicants filed between 10.42 am and 6.27 pm on May 7 for registration under Class 41 of the Nice Classification, which includes education and training services, film and media production, live performances and events, digital content delivery and publishing, and cultural and sporting activities,” The Hindu said.

This category is often used by OTT platforms, production houses, broadcasters, and event companies, suggesting that ‘Operation Sindoor’ could become a film title or web series.

Published in Dawn, May 9th, 2025