Uttarakhand govt refers to ancient texts for graduation robe’s desi version

DEHRADUN: Students in universities of Uttarakhand may soon have to ditch the quintessential convocation robe.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Uttarakhand is looking at ancient Hindu texts to find a substitute for the ceremonial robe introduced by the British for college graduation ceremonies.

The black robe-and-cap attire has been a subject of debate since a long time with many denouncing it as a relic of India’s colonial past. The issue has gained prominence since the BJP-led government came to power at the Centre three years ago.

Uttarakhand’s higher education minster Dhan Singh Rawat said the government was in touch with experts to find out the attire people wore during academic convocations in ancient India. “We are finding out about the dresses that were sported in Takshila,” he told Hindustan Times on Saturday, referring to one of the earliest known universities dating back to 1000 BCE.

The BJP government in Uttarakhand is looking at ancient Hindu religious texts to find a replacement for the ceremonial robe introduced by the British for college graduation ceremonies.

The black robe and cap has been a subject of debate, with many denouncing it as a relic of India’s colonial past. The discussion gained currency since the BJP-led government assumed power at the Centre in 2014.

Uttarakhand’s higher education minister Dhan Singh Rawat said the government was in touch with experts to find out the attire people wore during academic convocations in ancient India.

“We are finding out about the dresses sported in Takshila,” he said on Saturday, referring to one of the earliest known universities. Takshila is situated in present-day Rawalpindi in Pakistan.

“Moreover, in the Skanda Purana, there is a mention of an acharyakulam (school based on Vedic education) in Uttarakhand. It would be interesting to know what ceremonial dresses were in fashion in those times,” he added. The Skanda Purana is one of the earliest Vedic religious texts.

He said the government will form a committee that would give suggestions on a suitable dress for convocations.

The state government’s move came days after chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat refused to wear the ceremonial robe during the convocation of the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies in Dehradun.

The CM’s refusal had stunned dignitaries including Rawat, human resource development minister Prakash Javadekar and governor KK Paul, who had donned the ceremonial dress.

In a series of tweets, the CM asked people to suggest whether the traditional ‘pichoda’ (women’s dress) and ‘payjamakurta, jacket and cap’ (men’s dress) could be a substitute.

“I also made it a point to not wear academical dress traditionally worn during convocation- i feel we need to have our own indic dress! (sic),” Rawat tweeted on Saturday.

Though the education minister said the state “will lead by example” on the issue, Uttarakhand is not the first to implement the idea. Earlier this year, another BJP-ruled state, Madhya Pradesh, said it will introduce a ‘Bhartiya Paridhan’ — Indian dress — for convocations.

This week, students of Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, also attended their graduation ceremony in ethnic Indian wear.

The debate over the convocation robe started in 2010 when former environment minister Jairam Ramesh shrugged off the dress in a convocation ceremony of IIFM in Bhopal, terming it a “barbaric colonial practice”.

BLACK ROBE AND CAP HAS BEEN A SUBJECT OF DEBATE, WITH MANY DENOUNCING IT AS A RELIC OF INDIA’S COLONIAL PAST