Thumbs-up to desi outfits
ALLAHABAD: The trend of sporting a traditional outfit-pyjama or dhoti along with a kurta by boys and a very-Indian sari or salwar kameez by girls seems to have found favour with the young students of Sangam city.
Many favour dumping the black robes for traditional Indian clothes that they maintain suits the Indian weather conditions and gels with our own desi culture. The call here seems to be: Its time to finally shun this very colonial legacy and embrace the all-Indian look at these formal ceremonies.
“Indian traditional outfits are cool and best suit Indian sultry weather conditions. The black robes and caps, besides being uncomfortable, are also cumbersome troublesome at convocation functions, where caps falling and robe hoods getting tangled embarrass both the dignitary and the student,” says Himani Kulkarni, a student of BA-II, Allahabad University.
The Jhunsi resident maintains that the IIT- BHU’s initiative should not only be appreciated but also emulated by other higher educational institutions, including her own central varsity.
Raja Tiwari, a BTech (final year) at Shambhunath Institute of Engineering and Technology, Jhalwa who is set to receive his own engineering degree soon, is fully in agreement with her.
“The black robes and caps are actually a legacy of the colonial era. The dress may be fine for Britain or the US but here in India it is simply bothersome. Students sweat profusely for four-five hours during the function and look their worst by the time they walk on the stage to receive the degree or medal and to get clicked for the most important moment of their life,” he reasons, supporting traditional Indian outfits for such occasions.
Even Mariyam Sohail, a student of BA (Media Studies)-III, Institute of Professional Studies, Allahabad University (AU) is in favour of a change. “I would love to don a sari and not have to cover it up with a black gown and a cap on the convocation day. Every Indian youngster is proud of his/her culture and we should honour it, encouraging students to wear traditional clothes at least on special formal occasions like a convocation ceremony,” adds the Teliyarganj resident.