Searching for the stylish.

[Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi]

The Delhi Walla meets this woman at an apartment in Jamia Nagar, south Delhi. She is in a sharara, a pair of loose-pleated trousers usually worn by Muslim brides. Composed of floral designs in red and green, the sharara spreads around her legs in deep folds. The yellow kameez that descends to her knees is laced with embroideries depicting leaves, flowers and fruit. The head is covered with a dupatta of the same shade of yellow. The woman shows no jewelry. There is no one dressed like her.

Disclosing that she has been wearing the same clothes for three days, the woman says, “I’m marrying tomorrow. The sharara was sent by the boy’s family. I put it on before the haldi ceremony. I will change into another sharara only on the evening of my wedding. Until then I’m not allowed to even take a shower. That’s the tradition.”

Running her finger along the lace of her dupatta, she says, “My parents arranged the marriage. I have seen him only on Facebook.”

What will the woman look like after a decade?

As if reading my thoughts, she says, “I’m pursuing a degree in B.Ed. It has been agreed that I would not stop my education after the marriage. I would also not be required to wear the burqa. I will become a teacher in a college.”

Looking down at her sharara, she says, “This will be buried in my trunk.”

The stylish

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