The University Grants Commission (UGC) will soon prescribe a list of traditional Indian designs for convocation attire in an effort to phase out the use of western gowns for such events in the country’s higher education institutions.
A committee, comprising experts, has been set up by the higher education regulator to work out a list of convocation attire designs “which reflects the Indian culture and tradition.”
The proposal was discussed at a recent meeting of the commission, presided over by its chairman D P Singh.
“It was decided in the meeting that the new convocation attire designs depicting Indian culture and tradition will be invited from the students and professionals in the field,” official sources told DH.
The expert committee will select the best of the designs from those to be coming from the higher education students and professionals.
“The final list of the convocation attire designs will soon be made available to the universities and other higher education institutions, requesting them to adopt any of them suitably,” sources added.
The UGC’s renewed effort to replace the use of western convocation robe with new designs depicting Indian culture comes about three years after it asked the vice-chancellors of all universities to ensure that “only handloom fabric” is used for ceremonial dresses. The Commission prescribed the dress code for convocations and other special occasions in the universities in July 2015 following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for working towards the welfare of the handloom weavers.
Most of the central universities and the higher education institutions funded by the central government have already phased out western convocation robes.
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