Stanzin Padma #3 is a diptych of photographs (each 109 x 72.5 cm.) on archival paper, presenting a red velvet-lined box on a wooden surface. The first image shows a closed box with a worn, dust-covered surface. The second image reveals its interior, where a plush red lining with an indentation suggests a missing object. This box belongs to Stanzin Padma, a Ladakhi porter, and it once held the ‘Jeevan Raksha Padak’—a civilian lifesaving award granted by the Government of India in 2014 for saving a soldier’s life on the glacier.

The absence of the medal raises questions—was it lost, taken, sold, gifted, or kept as a memento? The empty cavity becomes a silent narrative, a ghostly presence symbolising forgotten sacrifices, historical erasure, and the fleeting nature of recognition. The red colour is usually associated with danger, love, and other emotions. Here, the soft fabric resembles a wound, a void, or a memorial, deepening the metaphor of loss and remembrance. It highlights the impermanence of honour and the overlooked contributions of porters who endure extreme conditions for the Indian Army.

Stanzin Padma #3 is part of Baptist Coelho’s ongoing multimedia series Stanzin Padma, which follows the life of Stanzin Padma (b. 1988), an award-winning Ladakhi known for his bravery. He was born in Phukpoche, a remote village in the Nubra Valley, 60 kilometres from the Siachen Base Camp, where he still lives with his family. From 2006 to 2014, he worked as a porter on the Siachen Glacier.

Stanzin Padma #3 was first exhibited as part of the artist’s solo exhibition, It still hasn’t ended at Bâtiment IV, Esch-sur-Alzette, from 30 May to 14 June 2024. The exhibtion was supported by University of Luxembourg, Department of Social Sciences.