The border areas between India and Pakistan are like its own world. Since partition this border has seen war, smuggling - people, arms, drugs, firing, jingoistic parades, killing, suicide bombing, fireworks, lonely tears and moments of glory.

On September 2009, India’s first ever batch of women soldiers of The Border Security Armed Force were deployed in these infamous borders of Punjab and near the first line of control in Jammu & Kashmir as the country’s first line of defence. I spent some time with some of these young women, both Hindus and Muslims (aged 17-25) at their boot camp, homes and eventually at the zero line exploring and documenting their transformation from a woman to a soldier. Somewhere during my journey I began to comprehend the acute realities of this job. They may be soldiers now but the harshness of the desolate border and this way of life can take its toll. Stationed on a critical border, they patrol the barren lands and try to come to terms with their new responsibilities. This transformation is so intense, a new home that is so close to nature that it is almost impossible to recreate or restore what they’ve left behind. One land that is so vast that all lines seem to disappear, yet a deathly silence that is so white, haunting and exact that it can create peace even in the land in the brink of war.

The Indian woman soldier is a relatively new concept though more women are in the armed forces now in India than ever before. Yet they face a dual challenge. Though they are participating now as a combat battalion in a conflict zone more than ever before yet most of them are painfully alone as only less than 1pc of the total population of the country’s 1.2 million armed forces constitute of women. The Indian defense forces towards women civilians have always been a matter of suspect, the military culture itself being intimidating has not been particularly positive for women in the force. The Indian woman in the force is not only battling it against the enemy and the system but also against a largely patriarchical society.

The armed forces live in their own bubble, far away from civilian’s world. In ‘ To Conquer Her Land’ I have tried to humanize these complex yet intricate issues of conflict, psychological warfare, class, youth, gender, love, peace, the concept of home, an undefined idea of patriotism, strength of the mind, and a new born stress that was previously unknown. By following women geographically from different parts of the country, different castes and backgrounds from their barracks, last few days at home, training to the active duty in the Border, I have tried to bring to life the challenges & struggles of quintessential ordinary Indian women. Compelling stories that are uplifting, illuminating and intrepid yet stuck in limbo, dwelling in stillness. Finally an unflinching account of how these women come face to face with the truth of conflict and the realities of living the life of a young good soldier.