Girls typically wear pleated skirts with shirts; boys wear half-sleeve shirts tucked into shorts or trousers.
Many government and traditional schools maintain the half-saree style for older girls.
Since the uniform was non-negotiable, the real battlefield was the footwear. While most wore the standard black Bata shoes, Ananya’s group, the "Style Sisters," had a secret. They used a specific brand of cherry blossom wax that made their shoes so reflective you could practically check your kajal in them.
Some schools allow small personal touches: