'Your Strength Moves This Nation'

'We mourn the lives that have been lost, soldiers who will never come home, whose names are now etched in the soul of this country.'
'May their families find strength in the nation's gratitude.'
'So tonight, and every night forward, we hope for less silence born of tension, and more silence born of peace.'

IMAGE: Border Security Force personnel carry the mortal remains of BSF Constable Deepak Chingakham who lost his life in Pakistan firing in Jammu and Kashmir's RS Pura sector. Photograph: ANI Photo

These are uncertain times for many of us Indians, and Alia Bhatt voices it in her latest post.

'The last few nights have felt... different,' she writes.

'There's a certain stillness in the air when a nation holds its breath. And over the past few days we've felt that stillness. That quiet anxiety. That pulse of tension that hums beneath every conversation, behind every news notification, around every dinner table.

'We have felt the weight of knowing that somewhere, out there in the mountains, our soldiers are awake, alert, and in danger.

'While most of us are tucked into our homes, there are men and women standing in the dark, guarding our sleep with theirs. With their lives.

'And that reality... it does something to you.

IMAGE: Across the country, in Imphal, BSF Constable Deepak Chingakham's mother weeps for her son. Photograph: ANI Photo

'Because you realise this isn't just bravery. It's sacrifice. And behind every uniform is a mother who hasn't slept either. A mother who knows her child is facing a night not of lullabies, but of uncertainty.

'Of tension. Of silence that can shatter in an instant.

'On Sunday we celebrated Mother's Day.

'And while flowers were being handed out and hugs were exchanged, I couldn't help but think of the mothers who raised heroes and carry that quiet pride with just a little more steel in their spine.

'We mourn the lives that have been lost, soldiers who will never come home, whose names are now etched in the soul of this country. May their families find strength in the nation's gratitude.

'So tonight, and every night forward, we hope for less silence born of tension, and more silence born of peace.

'And send love to every parent out there holding prayers, holding back tears.

'Because your strength moves this nation more than you'll ever know.

'We stand together. For our protectors. For India. Jai Hind.'

Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff