Dress discord

University of Hyderabad students are ready to protest against having a dress code for the upcoming convocation and are also calling it “Brahminical”.

On Tuesday, they received an email about a dress code for the convocation. With the government promoting handloom, khadi or handloom saris have been made “compulsory” for girls and dhotis for boys, besides a compulsory angavastram. The circular even included a few shops for references.

But the students are not amused. “We have students from different ethnic cultures. Uniformity in colour to an extent is fine but not in dress type. Sari and dhoti don’t represent India. It is important for us to critically question whose interests are being considered by imposing dress codes like angavastrams,” says student Tejasvi Dantuluri.

The university had collected Rs 500 for the convocation and has now priced the angavastrams at Rs 200. This too is not okay say students.

“Asking students to bear the expenses of angavastrams or any other thing as a mandate is not appropriate,” adds Tejasvi.

Many are seeing this as a move to please the Centre. “It’s highly Brahminical. It seems like propaganda, which is targeting educational institutions. This is not acceptable,” says Shiva Trishul, another student.

But students say they had a hint. “Earlier on Tuesday , we had an academic council meeting. The meet had all HoDs and two students’ representatives. We already knew a dress code was part of the meet’s agenda and we had prepared students for a debate but there was no effort to discuss the issue by faculty,” said PhD student Sanjay Jonnalagadda.

The debate is heating up though. “On social media and on the campus, everyone is talking about this. We met the controller of examinations and he said as the decision was taken at the academic council meeting, it can’t be reverted. Students are now planning a protest either earlier or on the day of the convocation,” he adds.