Artist Baptist Coelho showcases the emotional side of a soldier through an exhibit titled, You can't afford to have emotions out there

There is a video of a man undressing. He's not an ordinary man he's a soldier guarding the Siachin glacier. One-by-one the protective gear peels off first, the gloves, than the hoodie, gradually revealing the man. You see his face, his eyes and you know there is someone behind the uniform. That's artist Baptist Coelho's attempt at showcasing the human face of soldiers. "I visited Ladakh a while ago, and went onto to a place called Panamik; that's the closest you can get to the Siachin glacier. I met Army officers and jawans who who shared their lives with me. This exhibit is my attempt at revealing a soldier's emotional side about them missing their families, wanting to go back home. It's a tough life out there," he says.

The exhibit, most of it in the form of installations, is unique, and in Baptist's words "tries to draw a contrast between our lives and theirs". He has installed a tent that becomes a soldier's home at the glacier. "If you enter the tent, you can hear ambient music playing, and spot 5-star hotel amenities. I wanted to highlight the contrast between our comfortable, even luxurious lives and theirs," says the Mumbai artist. Discarded uniforms, torn parachutes, rusted jerry cans, military provisions and individual narratives come together to bring their story alive.