HAU replaces gowns with white dress for convocation

Chandigarh, July 8 : Haryana Agriculture University, Hisar, has decided to replace the conventional black gowns worn during convocation with a white dress code for students who would be awarded their degrees in a ceremony to be held at the varsity later this month.

The students would be awarded degrees in the new dress code which would be arranged by them at their own level, an official release said here today.

According to the dress code, male students coming for degrees would wear white shirt, white trousers, black shoes, black belt and white socks.

Likewise, women would wear white saree with red border, white blouse with short sleeves and black shoes or black sandals and can also wear white shirt with red border, white salwar and black shoes or sandals.

Notably, Haryana Health and Sports Minister Anil Vij has been a strong votary of changing the conventional black gowns and in March had refused to attend the convocation of a college in Ambala Cantt, the assembly constituency he represents, as students were donning gowns for the ceremony.

Recently, expressing strong reservation to the "colonial legacy" of wearing black gowns by the degree recipients, Vij had asked the state government to consider introducing new dress code for such functions, pointing out that "Indian dress will be better in place of heavy black gowns used during convocations as a symbol of status."

The minister had written a letter to Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Education Minister Ram Bilas Sharma in this regard earlier, saying the colonial legacy of black gown for convocations should be barred in educational institutions in the state.

The university would hold its 24th Convocation on July 26, in which degrees of graduate, masters and doctorate would be awarded to students who completed their courses between January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2014.

PTI