Aditi's Monologue

Abhivyakti: The Likterature Festival organized by AWWA on 17th, 18th and 19th Dec 2021.

Most of you already know about AWWA, which stands for Army Wives Welfare Organization and all Indian Army wives are a part of this organization. To quote the official AWWA website:

“AWWA works for the welfare of the spouses, children and dependents of Army personnel. It is aptly called the invisible hand that shapes the punch of the Indian Army. The association was officially registered as a Welfare Society with the Registrar of Societies, Delhi Administration on 23 August 1966. Since its inception AWWA has grown in its scope and reach and today it stands proud as one of the largest NGOs in India.

NOTE: All wives of army men are beneficiaries of AWWA. However, AWWA as a functionary body exists only from the Corps level upwards. Below the Corps level the AWWA presides through its Family Welfare Organizations (FWO)”

And recently, AWWA organized its first Literature Festival in the Delhi Cantonment area and the world stopped and took notice! The prestigious event was aptly named Abhivyakti, and it welcomed and celebrated authors, poets, and other artists from the Indian Army fraternity. Abhivyakti was a three-day event, and I was honored to be invited as a panelist on the final day of the festival. I was also given the opportunity to claim the stage and talk about my first book “Soldier & Spice: An Army Wife’s Life” to a wonderful gathering of Amry Wives, including Mrs. Veena Naravane, President AWWA, in a section called Rubaroo.

My Abhivyakti experience was rich, unmatched and unforgettablly heartwarming. Many thanks to AWWA committe for inviting me.

I could not make it to day 1 and day 2 because of work and other commitments, but I started seeing the event getting coverage on Twitter. I was excited to be there on day 3! However, I wasn’t prepared for the scale that I witnessed on the ground. With its tastefully done decore to how strictly covid protocols were being followed, from the sheer number of literature enthusiasts attending the event to how well managed the entire program was, it was an absolute delight to attend.

I got to meet some extremely talented fellow Army Wives and Army kids, and the formidable women who were the force behind this event. They envisioned the three-day event under the apt guidance of Mrs. Naravane, planned the Literature Fest, got guest speakers on board, invited authors and poets from the Army fraternity, arranged for various workshops that will benefit all aspiring writers, and so much more! One look at the stunning decore at the venue, and I knew the days of hard work and creativity that must have gone into planning the event. Kudos to the entire team!

The event was covered by various publications in the media, and Indian Army’s official Social Media Handles also shared daily updates over the span on three days. I was thrilled to see the Indian Army handles share my picture as a part of day 3 updates. Little joys of life, haha. I might just frame it and hang it on the wall, I am so excited!

So in short, it was a rich experience for me and I have to say thatmy first book “Soldier & Spice: An Army Wife’s Life” was published many years ago, and it continues to bring me so much love, accolades and recognition that I feel grateful and sometimes, overwhelmed. The book has been re-printed a few times by the publishers and it still remains out of stock most times. Which might be a good sign! But I am now more aware than ever that this story of a new Army Wife and how her life changes as she becomes part of the silent ranks, is going to stay relevant for many more years to come. That is the beauty of stories!

And I hope I can tell more such stories, because we Army Wives are cut from a different cloth and I believe that our stories need to be told. Amen to that! (And wish me luck so that I can write my next soon)

I hope you like the pictures, and I also hope that Abhivyakti becomes an yearly event where we celebrate each other and promote the writers and poets from the fraternity.

You can get more information about AWWA here.