I Am A Soldier’s Wife: The Life and Love of Toni Lidder
Geetika Lidder
An army daughter herself, Geetika knew the perils of being married to an infantry soldier. But does anything prepare you for such a sudden, quick, cruel turn of events? How do you gather strength to respond to media at the funeral of your loved one, ‘I am a soldier’s wife… We must give him a smiling send-off’?
Life is tough for a soldier’s wife and is not often written about. Geetika’s book is a brave step in opening her heart and sharing the constant battle between emotions, courage, and integrity in the lives of army wives. This book is part love story, tribute, and family history, but above all, it’s a story of celebrating the person that Toni was to his family, friends, and paltan.
Geetika Lidder is a fourth-generation member of the armed forces. A sapper’s daughter and an infantry officer’s wife, she has welcomed life with open arms and takes in her stride the highs and lows it serves her.
She has a bachelor’s degree in Computer Hardware from Fergusson College Pune and a master’s in Business Administration from Pune University. A trailing spouse, Geetika has over 25 years of varied work experience – the Indian Express Newspapers, the ITC Hotels, Amartex Industries, ICFAI Business School, Avalon Aviation Academy, GMR, Delhi School of Communication, etc.
She began teaching at the Shri Ram School in Delhi in 2013, followed by a three-and-a-half-year stint at the QSI American School in Astana, Kazakhstan. Ever since her return to India in 2017, she has anchored at the Shri Ram School, where she is now the Vice Principal of the Junior School. She stays in Delhi with her daughter Aashna.