The Indian college syllabus is surely a thing of relic, and to match that, the Uttarakhand government is poring over Puranas for tips on graduation day robes.
The BJP government in Uttarakhand is now looking for alternatives for the ceremonial robe worn by students during graduation, reported the Hindustan Times.
The report quotes Uttarakhand’s higher education minister Dhan Singh Rawat saying that the government was in touch with experts to find out what students wore during academic conventions in ancient India.
The black robe and cap has been seen as a colonial relic and doing away with it has become a bit of a trend since the Modi government came into power.
Advertisement
“We are finding out about the dresses that were sported in Takshila,” Rawat reportedly said, referring to a university that existed over 3000 years ago and was situated 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 told the newspaper.
Rawat said that the state government would form a committee which would give suggestions in the matter.
Close to a week ago, Rawat was at University of Petroleum and Energy Studies in Dehradun and refused to wear the ceremonial robe.
Advertisement
Rawat’s statements come at a time when IIT Kanpur’s students attended their graduation in ethnic Indian wear and the Madhya Pradesh government announced that it would introduce an ‘Indian dress’ for such ceremonies.
