Style is a refinement in behaviour and the cultivation of poise. Style is expressed in the way a person walks or converses, by the cadence of language, by the spaces we choose to live in. Style shows confidence, presence and personal power, often communicated without the need for words.

Unlike brute force, style cannot be fought with or overcome. It is a quiet challenge that does not seek a reaction. While it can be mocked, it cannot be destroyed. It is the result of a cultivated intentionality that becomes part of a personality. Style is like the softest notes of a piano or violin that the listener knows can build up to a powerful intensity that will make hearts tremble.

The former Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed in February this year, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran, Abbas Araghchi, through all the warmongering rhetoric, impressed the world with their soft-spoken manner and the slight smile of the wise dealing with the foolish. No angry fist shaking. Instead, we witnessed the Persian tradition of taarof, a complex, ritualised politeness, and zerangi or shrewdness.

Persian influences in the Subcontinent date back to the sixth century, first becoming the official language of Punjab in the 11th century,........

© Dawn (Magazines)