Meet Madhulika

From India’s bucolic northeast to the buzz of New York City, model, philanthropist and movie star in the making) Madhulika Sharma is a whip-smart multi-hyphenate proving that her beauty comes bolstered with brains, says DIVYA BALA. Photographed by KATHERINE GOGUEN. Styled

- RUPANGI GROVER

Everyone’s like, ‘who’s this clown walking?!’” laughs Madhulika Sharma. The model, reflecting on how her buttoned-up neighbours might perceive her flamboyant style, lives right on Wall Street in New York City’s financial district. “My personal style is very colourful, so I always stand out as I’m by the Stock Exchange.”

Indeed, in a sea of men in suits and boots, Assam-born Sharma’s sartorial effervescence makes her easy to spot. However, anyone in the 24-year-old’s presence could note that it’s not simply her dynamic flair that catches the attention but her razor-sharp, determined mind.

Sharma was born and raised in Assam, south of the eastern Himalayas, where she and her family lived before moving to Arunachal Pradesh, tucked between the Himalayan mountains. There, her childhood consisted of school and coming home to “dilly dally” with her sister, making dolls, reading, picking oranges and hand-churning milk to make ghee, and playing Hindustani music and classical Western piano (Sharma played for 12 years, including a stint training at the Trinity College of London). After six years, the family returned to Assam, where Sharma began to grow into herself.