Who uses a hand-fill proforma
Elders who prefer paper. Marriage bureaus that maintain physical registers. Family committees who fill biodatas together at the dining table. Rishta aunties who want a standardised sheet to hand around.
A typed biodata prints; a proforma is designed to be handwritten. This means: generous ruled lines, big legible field labels, boxed photo area, clear section dividers, and paper that survives repeated handling.
The proforma structure
An A4 hand-fill proforma has five sections spread across one or two pages:
- Personal. Name, DOB, age, height, marital status, sect, mother tongue, current residence. Each field on its own ruled line.
- Photo box. A 2x2 inch box (paste passport-size photo). Placed top-right of page one.
- Education and career. Highest degree, institution, year, occupation, employer, monthly income band.
- Family. Father, mother, siblings (each on a separate line with position/marital/occupation), family residence, biradari, mother tongue.
- Partner preferences and contact. Age range, location, education, sect, and the contact person's phone and email.
Rules for filling by hand
- Names in BLOCK CAPITALS. No ambiguity in spelling.
- Dates as DD/MM/YYYY. Consistent format throughout.
- Height in feet and inches, e.g. "5 ft 4 in". Never "average" or "medium".
- Income as a range. "PKR 150-200k/month" reads better than either a single number or "good salary".
- Blue or black pen. Pencil looks provisional; other colours look unserious.
- No strikethroughs. If you make a mistake, print a fresh copy and fill again. A strikethrough on a biodata reads as carelessness.
- Consistent handwriting throughout. Do not have one family member fill some sections and another fill others in different handwriting.
Urdu version for elder-comfortable formatting
Some families prefer the field labels in Urdu Nastaliq for elder readability. The content (name, education, occupation) can still be filled in English or Urdu depending on the family. Urdu-labelled proformas are common in North Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; English-labelled proformas dominate in Karachi and Islamabad. Use whichever the primary reader prefers.
The three-column comparison sheet
When a family has three proposals under active consideration, comparing on separate biodatas is difficult; the eye cannot hold three formats at once. A three-column comparison sheet solves this: same rows, three candidate columns, one page.
Fill what you know from each candidate's biodata. Blank rows are diagnostic; a proposal that skipped family details is telling you something. Bring the filled comparison sheet to the family baithak; it structures the discussion.
Photo handling on paper
- Paste a passport-size photo in the box. Do not draw the outline; do not paperclip.
- Use a matte print, not glossy. Glossy reflects light on photocopies and is harder to see.
- 2x2 inch is standard. The proforma box is sized for this.
- Recent photo. Within 6 months.
- For a female candidate whose family prefers photo-hidden: leave the box blank with a diagonal line, or write "photo shared on family-to-family basis".
Storing the proforma
Print two copies. One goes to the aunty or bureau (they may not return it). The other stays in a labelled folder at home. If the family has multiple candidates on the market (rare but possible), keep each in a separate labelled folder.
Digital companion for durability
Paper is what the aunty circulates; digital is what survives changes and updates. Register on QuickRishta and keep the same information online as a backup. Any time a detail changes (career move, city change), update the online version and reprint the proforma. Paper alone drifts out of date within months.
Frequently asked questions
What is a biodata proforma?
A blank preformatted sheet with labelled fields and ruled lines, designed to be handwritten.
Fill in block capitals?
Names in BLOCK CAPITALS, dates DD/MM/YYYY, blue/black pen, no strikethroughs.
How to compare proposals?
Three-column comparison sheet, same rows, three candidate columns, one page.
Prefer paper? Print the proforma and back it up online free
Handwritten biodata circulates; online version survives updates. Both work best together.