Anjum dressing up as a man
Anjum, who as Aftab had fallen in love with the style and clothes that hijras wore, started to dress up as a man. She also tries to dress Zainab as a boy, as a Hindu boy. This is a portrayal of his fear of being found a hijra by violent rioters, who would terrorize her to extort blessings.
Delhi as Medusa
The city of Delhi is described as Medusa, where grey flyovers became the snakes crawling out of her skull, every wrinkle is compared to a street and lane, homeless people squirmed around as lice. She is said to be an old woman who now had to look whorish to satisfy her masters who were pimping her to a new client.
Kashmir Floods
The floods of Kashmir are described as an event which unified the terrorists and the army alike. No plans, no missions could be carried out, all sorts of things began to float in the flood water, from both sides creating a picture where nature was lashing out its fury on humans who were waging war on it.
Anjum’s clothes
Anjum had a way of dressing up as her moods went. She dressed in sequined ghagras and shiny dupattas, she dresses up in a red sari as is symbolic of a newly wedded bride on the day she is initiated in the Khwaabgah. She begins to dress up as a man in a bid for anonymity after she is deeply traumatized in her experience of Gujrat riots. She begins to dress up plainly after she starts living in the graveyard having no use to dress up for attention. Thus, her clothes become a mirror for her moods.
