Convocation Robes

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has reiterated to universities to consider using ceremonial robes made out of handloom fabrics for special occasions such as convocation, according to officials.

The UGC stated that using handloom fabrics not only instills a sense of pride in being Indian but also contributes to the promotion of the handloom industry.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari fainted during a public event in Maharashtra on Friday because of "suffocation" from convocation robes, in his own words.

Keen to shed what it calls a "colonial tradition", the prestigious IIT Kanpur has directed its students to don ethnic attire like kurtas, pyjamas and churidaars during their convocation ceremony, in place of the ceremonial black robes and head gear.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat today refused to wear a robe at a convocation ceremony here and suggested that a "purely Indian" attire be worn on such occasions.

In a departure from the past, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan sported a saffron coloured turban and stole, while students of a University donned yellow turbans and same coloured stoles at a convocation ceremony here.

The YMCA University of Science and Technology, Faridabad has planned to junk the traditional black robes and square hats and to use Indian attire dress code for the upcoming convocation next week.

The IIT Bombay has placed an order for 3,500 convocation robes made of khadi cotton, inculcating the feeling of nationalism in the students.

Stoking a potential controversy, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh on Friday called as "barbaric colonial relics" the practice of wearing the traditional coloured robe at convocation ceremonies and publicly removed his own gown at one such event.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has reiterated to universities to consider using ceremonial robes made out of handloom fabrics for special occasions such as convocation, according to officials.

The UGC stated that using handloom fabrics not only instills a sense of pride in being Indian but also contributes to the promotion of the handloom industry.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari fainted during a public event in Maharashtra on Friday because of "suffocation" from convocation robes, in his own words.

Keen to shed what it calls a "colonial tradition", the prestigious IIT Kanpur has directed its students to don ethnic attire like kurtas, pyjamas and churidaars during their convocation ceremony, in place of the ceremonial black robes and head gear.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat today refused to wear a robe at a convocation ceremony here and suggested that a "purely Indian" attire be worn on such occasions.

In a departure from the past, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan sported a saffron coloured turban and stole, while students of a University donned yellow turbans and same coloured stoles at a convocation ceremony here.

The YMCA University of Science and Technology, Faridabad has planned to junk the traditional black robes and square hats and to use Indian attire dress code for the upcoming convocation next week.

The IIT Bombay has placed an order for 3,500 convocation robes made of khadi cotton, inculcating the feeling of nationalism in the students.

Stoking a potential controversy, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh on Friday called as "barbaric colonial relics" the practice of wearing the traditional coloured robe at convocation ceremonies and publicly removed his own gown at one such event.