By Sangeeta Saxena
New Delhi. 25 November 2022. It is an art gallery you could not miss and artists who cannot but attract attention. As their husbands don the olive green to protect the nation , these wives created hues on canvas and are displaying their creations at the AIFACS Gallery in the capital. The greatest motivator for an Army is its Chief and for the Army wives the First Lady who is the Chief’s wife. And it was a moment of pride for these artists when Mrs. Archana Pande, wife of the Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande, lit the inaugural lamp and formally opened the exhibition ‘Hues of Life’ .
20 artists who are also better halves of Army officers are showcasing their 160 artworks . Walk over to the gallery and what awaits you is a visual treat. And the best part is that you do not need to be an artist to appreciate it or an art lover to see it. Creative expressions can be admired by any human eye and can sooth any soul. Mrs Archana Pande, President AWWA , a key enabler in the journey of Olive Expressions’, was happy to see the artworks of olives .
It is their sheer passion for Art, that what they started as a hobby has now reached a pinnacle where they can showcase their paintings beyond the walls of their homes and messes. It puts them at par with the artists who are professional and gives them hope to have their individual exhibitions in the near future.
Dr. Deepa Malik, the paralympian , Padma Shri Awardee,
who won hearts of the artists with her charm , humility and zeal , is an Army wife who is a motivation for women within the forces and outside them. Neither did the wheel chair demotivate her nor a physical disability deter her spirits. She was here to motivate these Army wives who had picked up the brush and dipped them into colours to create these paintings.
Prof .Biman Bihar Das ,Master sculptor, Padam Shri Awardee and chairman of AIFACS , was amazed to notice the tremendous talent in the wives of the men in uniform . What impressed him was many were self taught artists with no formal training.
Army life is a package deal of learning to smile in tough times, looking after the army family with elan’, leading the most loveable nomadic life and honing skills which are inherent but the wives needed this great organisation to discover. Army gives them the filip, motivation and trust in their abilities. And I am sure it gives these twenty ladies innumerables ideas to paint.
