Kharagpur: Ahead of the Pahalgam incident anniversary, the Army has named a red rose variety as ‘Operation Sindoor’ during the Valentine’s week as a symbol of bravery and indomitable spirit.The hybrid variety of the flower was cultivated at Pushpanjali Rose Garden in Jakpur, Kharagpur. Pranabir Maity, who created the plant, had earlier developed roses that were named at significant locations, including the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The red and fragrant flower has 30 to 35 petals and branches, measuring between 120 cm and 150 cm. It blooms round the year. It is highly resistant to diseases. The saplings can be planted in soil or pots.On Friday, Army officials, including Brigadier Sudhir Sodhi of Eastern Command, unveiled the new varierty of the rose in the flower market after getting approval from the home ministry. The flower is now available in the market. Earlier, Maity had initiated a rose garden project next to a tulip garden in Jammu and Kashmir and held multiple discussions with the chief minister’s office there during his visit last year. Due to Operation Sindoor, the rose garden project was delayed. Meanwhile, Maity connected with the Army, which proposed him to breed the special rose variery, named it after the mission. Maity and his family, along with the local community, are delighted to have associated their creation with the mission. “We created a new rose variety and posted about it on social media, which led to the proposal of naming it after the mission. Thereafter, the Army gave us the green signal to unveil the flower in their presence. I feel proud to have named a flower in the interest of the country,” Maity said.
