Indore: Participants to wear Indian jacket, Malvi pagadi at DAVV convocation

Indore: It is finally happening. Nearly 54 years after its establishment, Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya will shun traditional British robes in passing out ceremony and opt for Indian jacket and uttariya at convocation on Friday, believing that it will generate a feeling of nationalism among students.

“It will be the first DAVV convocation wherein participants will be seen in Indian dress and Malvi pagadi instead of British gowns and caps,” said vice- chancellor Dr Narendra Dhakad.  He said that the university had freed itself from the British practice of wearing traditional robes during convocation and approved Indian dress for the passing out ceremony.

The coordination committee, the apex body of higher education in the state, had ordered to replace convocation gowns and caps with Indian dress last year.  In all, 68 meritorious students will be awarded gold and silver medals and 75 students will get PhD degree at the convocation.  On the eve of convocation, DAVV students and teachers participated in convocation rehearsal in the dress code on Thursday.

PhD students threaten to boycott convocation

A day ahead of the ceremony, PhD students threatened to boycott the convocation when they were told that the university has plans to award degree to them in a group. The vice-chancellor told PhD students that the guests do not have time for the convocation so they would be called in a group for awarding degrees.  This led to a protest by the PhD students who threatened to boycott the ceremony if they were not called on stage individually for receiving degrees. Registrar Ajay Verma and student welfare dean L K Tripathi tried in vain to pacify the angry students. The protest ended only after the university administration promised to talk to the guests over the issue.