Summary:
Dehradun: Students graduating from state-run universities in Uttarakhand from next year will have to give the scholar’s robes and convocation hats a miss. The minister had said that students would wear a “special dress which represents Uttarakhandi culture and tradition”.Talking to TOI on Sunday, the minister said, “A high-level committee is finalizing the design for the dress. The CM had turned down a request to wear robes during the convocation ceremony of University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, describing it as a relic of the colonial era. After January 1, graduating students will wear the dress which is in pahadi-style and colours.”Rawat added, “The main idea behind the dress is to have something which is not a foreign import and promotes local sensibilities.”The idea of a pahadi dress for graduation ceremonies gained traction in June after CM Trivendra Singh Rawat declined to wear robes and hat during the convocation ceremony of a city college. Vice-chancellor Nageshwar Rao of the state university said that students were asked to wear Aipan scarves as the state government had indicated that the convocation should have an Indian element and something that reflects the culture of the hills..