Opinion | Winning Hearts and Minds: The Indian Army’s Silent Battle for Peace

This isn’t a battle fought with bullets, but with trust, compassion, and unwavering commitment. And slowly, one school, one hospital, one opportunity at a time, the Indian Army is scripting its greatest victory—not on the battlefield, but in the hearts of the people. And that is a victory that will last forever.

I still remember an old man in Kupwara once telling me, “Beta, before the schools came, all we had were shadows of fear. Today, my grandson reads books instead of learning the language of the gun.” That moment stuck with me. It wasn’t a politician or an NGO that changed his world. It was the Indian Army’s Winning Hearts and Minds (WHAM) Campaign—a silent, tireless mission that rarely makes headlines but has been scripting a new narrative in conflict-torn regions like Jammu & Kashmir and the Northeast. We often picture the Army in battle fatigues, guns slung over their shoulders, marching through hostile terrain. But there’s another side to them—one that builds schools, heals the sick, organizes sports tournaments, and holds the hands of those whom fear and violence once consumed. This is Operation Sadbhavana (Goodwill), the Army’s most profound effort under WHAM, aimed at winning trust where it was once lost.
If you travel deep into the villages of Jammu & Kashmir, you will come across Army Goodwill Schools, where thousands of children receive education free of cost. These aren’t just institutions with books and blackboards—they are symbols of a future that militancy tried to steal. Over the years, the Army has built over 40 such schools, shaping the dreams of thousands who once lived under the shadow of violence. And then there are the medical camps. I met a woman in Rajouri who told me how her mother got life-saving treatment at an Army medical camp when they had no access to a hospital. “Doctors never came here,” she had said, “but the Army did.” From basic check-ups to specialized surgeries, the Indian Army’s medical initiatives have reached thousands who would otherwise remain neglected.
It’s no secret that conflict zones are fertile ground for radicalization. A disillusioned youth is an easy target for anti-national forces. But what if you give that youth a skill, a job, a future? The Indian Army understood this and launched vocational training centers for boys and girls, teaching them skills like computer literacy, tailoring, carpentry, and even entrepreneurship. I once spoke to a young boy from Baramulla who was part of an Army-sponsored Bharat Darshan Tour—a program where Kashmiri youth are taken to different parts of India to see life beyond conflict. “I thought the whole world was like this,” he had said, referring to his hometown, where soldiers and militants were all he had ever seen. “But when I saw Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru, I realized how much more there is to life.”
The Army is also playing an emotional role in rebuilding fractured communities. They organize sports tournaments, cultural programs, and even celebrations of local festivals to instill a sense of normalcy. Just last year, a cricket tournament in Shopian—once a hotbed of militancy—saw over 50 local teams participating, cheered on by thousands. And it’s not just the youth. Women’s empowerment has been a crucial aspect of WHAM. Special self-defense workshops for women, financial assistance for widows, and skill training programs for women-led businesses have provided a new lease on life.
Disasters do not differentiate between civilians and soldiers, and neither does the Army when it comes to saving lives. In the 2014 Kashmir floods, soldiers rescued thousands, wading through waist-deep waters for days. In 2023, during heavy snowfall, they carried a pregnant woman on foot for over 10 km to ensure she got to a hospital in time. These aren’t scripted acts of heroism. These are real, raw moments of humanity that show what the Army truly stands for.
The Indian Army’s Winning Hearts and Minds campaign isn’t about statistics. It’s about stories—of a child who gets to study, a widow who learns to earn, a youth who picks up a cricket bat instead of a gun. This isn’t a battle fought with bullets but with trust, compassion, and unwavering commitment. And slowly, one school, one hospital, one opportunity at a time, the Indian Army is scripting its greatest victory—not on the battlefield, but in the hearts of the people. And that is a victory that will last forever.

Email: Vadiekashmir@gmail.com