Neelam Negi, BA student at Maharani College, Jaipur
Rajasthan government has directed all state-run colleges to implement a dress code from the next academic session — shirt, trousers, jersey (in winters) for the boys; salwar-suit, chunni, sweater, and sari for the girls. Neelam Negi, a 20-year-old BA student at Maharani College, Jaipur, says the government should first look at other issues in education.
1. What do you usually wear to college?
I’m not particular about the clothes that I wear to college. But generally I wear a pair of jeans and a top.
2. Does your family place any restrictions on your clothes?
No, there are no restrictions.
3. What do you think of the government’s dress code?
I don’t think salwar-suit or sari should be made compulsory. It’s not easy to wear a sari every day, especially if a person has to travel to get to college. Even salwar-suits are not worn by a lot of people.
Once my friend wore a skirt and a top to college and was advised by the administration to not wear the outfit. They told her that there were male teachers in the college, who might gape at the dress. If you don’t want a skirt in college, it’s still understandable. But you cannot ban jeans or shirt. I think people should be allowed to wear whatever they are comfortable with.
4. Should the government concern itself with what people wear to colleges?
There are a lot of other, more important issues concerning us students. We are reading the same syllabus year after year; it is rarely revised. There are only a few societies in college, with negligible membership. This hinders our growth, including of girls from rural areas.
I think one reason behind the move could be to ensure that there is no difference between students and hence no discrimination on the basis of clothes. But compared to the issues that students face, what we wear is an extremely minor thing. Nothing will be gained by this. It seems that deciding the dress code is an easy target for the government as there is not much effort involved.
5. Unlike the traditional clothes advised for girls, the boys are allowed to wear shirts and trousers. What do you think about this?
I don’t know what the logic behind this move is! But yes, if this is the case, then boys should also wear dhotis and kurtas. Why only dhotis, they should also wear pagdis (turbans), like they do in the villages. The government should offer a valid reason for proposing such a move, only then can we youngsters accept it.
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