The University Grants Commission (UGC) has advised Khadi as dress code for convocations and other such ceremonial events in the universities and colleges. The institutional body said it will bring ‘a sense of pride of being Indian.’

UGC has asked vice Chancellors of all it’s universities to consider encourage students and teachers to wear dresses made of handloom fabrics for any special events organised in the campus. In the circular, UGC secretary Rajnish Jain noted, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has advocated the use of Khadi and also emphasised the revival of handlooms. Mahatma Gandhi used Khadi, a hand-spun and handloom cloth as a weapon during struggle for Indian Independence and hence, it is also known as ‘Liveries of Freedom.”

The UGC’s effort to replace the use of the western convocation robe with Khadi and handloom fabric comes almost four years after it directed all universities to ensure that dresses worn during convocation is made of ‘handloom fabric only’.

The commission had prescribed the dress code for convocations in July 2015, following PM Modi’s call for working towards welfare of handloom weavers. Most central universities and other higher education institutions funded by the central government have phased out western convocation robes and introduced traditional ‘Kurta-Pyjama’ for men and ‘Saari’ for women for special occasions. But there are still many higher education institutes that still opt for the western robe.

Source: Deccan Herald