NINE MEN IN BURQA

An audacious project, shot in the town of Muzaffarnagar, India, investigates what many women across the world experience daily. Nine men volunteered to wear the burqa for a whole day and roam the streets, facing prejudices and inquisitive looks.

Hi Tanmay, we are very interested in the making of 9 Men in Burqa: when and where was it shot?

I shot 9 Men in Burqa in 2023 in my home town of Muzaffarnagar, in India where I was born and grew up. I come from a Hindu family but we lived in a Muslim dominated area of the town most of our lives. That was like a blessing since as a kid I’d see a contrasting set of people and lifestyle all around me compared to my own household.

Who are these men? Friends? Actors?

A mix of people known to me, plus random people who volunteered after hearing the idea. There were reservations from a lot of people because of the volatile times we live in. There were concerns if this will be seen as an audacious act of projecting a sensitive religious school of thought in bad light or even lampoon. But I luckily had 9 men who did it anyway.

What did they do during their burqa day?

I roamed around with them through the market streets, had a round of casual shopping, lot of street food, playing badminton in the court of a now out of use school, rode a rickshaw, took rest in a little public garden, even working out for a bit in an open air public gym doing some cardio.

Why did you choose this theme?

I remember a few days before the idea of the shoot came to me, I was lying in bed with a runny nose, and feeling miserable. And it occurred to me how society and the daily functioning of the world might have been different if men menstruated instead of women. Wouldn’t there have been a week off for them every month when they got their period? I tried to imagine the narrative of it all and how it would have been added as a feather to the cap of greatness. And so I wanted to pick a little sample and make them go through a day wearing burqas and experience what women in some countries experience for the entire life. On the surface it is just an all-covering garment, but it reveals almost everything about us as flawed humans.

Did you noted any comments from people on the streets? It would be interesting to know the react-time reactions the 9 men caused.

It was only when we ate on the streets, they had to lift the veil and people nearby noticed that there were men inside the burqas. They were inquisitive. We said we were shooting for some images.

And for the ones who did not know, it was business as usual. There was eve-teasing and lewd comments passed which was amazing to notice since the very garment that is supposed to protect the modesty of a woman offers no shield against lechery from men who didn’t care if there was a man or a woman inside the burqa.