Army dads and little daughters, Garima Dixit's photo series inspired by martyrs

Garima Dixit is a young army wife who spends her time honing her photography when her husband is out on the field. "Being an army wife is not easy. Staying away from husband for the most part of the year, managing kids alone takes a toll. But I am keeping my passion alive." Garima is a children's photographer whose recent photos on army parents and kids will warm the cockles of your heart.

"Being an army wife, I keep on meeting so many officers and their families and with that, I get to hear so many inspiring stories. I know so many Army wives who delivered and raised their kids in the absence of their fathers. These are the iron women, the pillars of strength to the men on duty, defending our borders.", she shares adding that her recent meeting with the parents of Captain Tushar Mahaja who was martyred in the Pampore encounter of 2016 lent her inspiration for these photos.

"It was a heartbreaking moment for me, as I could feel the emptiness in their eyes. They have kept and preserved each and everything that belonged to him - the creams he used, the shoes he wore, the piano he played, his uniforms...everything that you can imagine. It made me think of the strength of parents like them, who send their kids off because of the love for their country, all while knowing that they may never see them again but praying that they do.", she shared.

Garima Dixit's recent shoot on army parents and kids pic credits: Garima Dixit

She also believes that Defence kids are raised in a very different environment as they get lots of opportunities to see different parts of India, meet so many people and make new friends every few years. They have all-round development in a healthy and disciplined environment which makes them flexible and smart enough to become successful in various fields.

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Being an army wife, according to Garima, is the best thing that can happen to a woman. "It's the fact that your husband's duty towards nation will be above everything else in the world. And we army wives slowly learn this over a period of time. Yes, we do crib sometimes about not getting much time but that's human nature. We become expert in so many things while handling things alone when the husband is away. Moving every 2-3 years to a new station is tough but you get used to of it. It's hard to continue a job as you keep moving. You are constantly worried about your husband's well being.", she expresses.

army parents and kids pic credits: Garima Dixit

"There is something called Army way of life and I love it. I feel incredibly proud of being a military spouse." - Garima

Talking about the bond that her husband and her daughter share, she tells us that the duo is inseparable. "No matter how busy he would be doing his duty, serving the nation, he always finds a way to be there at every stage in life . If not physically present he tries his best possible way to convey his support, encouragement and his love to her. We both are lucky to have such a men in life. "

Army parents and kids pic credits: Garima Dixit

Army parents and kids. pic credits: Garima Dixit

 

But how does the doting daughter react to her father's absence? "My husband's job demands lots of travel. My daughter is quite small to understand his nature of work but she becomes very sad when his dad is away and it's hard to explain his absence", she clarified.

Garima Dixit dabbled into photography after the birth of her daughter. "I was suffering from post-partum depression because of which I couldn’t spend a lot of time with my daughter. I wanted to make up for that time. That’s when I picked up the camera and started capturing my daughter", she informs adding that pursuing her passion helped her deal with her depression.

Garima Dixit's recent shoot on army parents and kids pic credits: Garima Dixit

 

Army parents and kids pic credits: Garima Dixit

Elaborating on the monumental role photography plays in her life, she says that it gives her the opportunity to look at the brighter side of everything. "It opens a different world to me. Photography gives me endless flexibility to show my creative side.  I feel photographs are the best way to convey emotions and picking up the camera has made me more creative. Also being a newborn and kids photographer makes you patient.", she averred.

Picture credits: Garima Dixit