Aurat [Woman]

To the east of Connaught Place, the circular shopping district in downtown New Delhi is Pragati Maidan (‘Progress Grounds’), the sprawling exhibition grounds complex designed by the architect Raj Rewal and inaugurated in 1972. In November each year, the grounds host the International Trade Fair. For a while in the 1980s and 90s, this also became the occasion for the grounds hosting cultural activities. This is a picture of the marriage scene, where the Woman is progressively burdened as one patriarchal rule after another is hurled her way. Moloyashree Hashmi (veiled) plays the Woman, with Subhash Tyagi as the husband, Safdar Hashmi as the priest and Jitendra Dagar as the father-in-law. This picture was shot by designer-photographer Ram Rahman.