PTU bids farewell to colonial relic

Jalandhar, October 19, 2013: Universities and the associated systems are what India gave to the world. Takshila happens to be the first university in the world. Over the years the Deekshant Samaroh became the festive convocation and we adopted this western influence without a thought, like we did everything else.
There is an adage – trees that forget their roots often tumble even in slightest of the winds. It’s time that we get back to our roots and take pride in our rich heritage and this is precisely what Punjab Technical University (PTU) chose to do at its 11th convocation. The black robes and head gear which is symbolic of the convocations was done to death with and in came the very Indian khaadi jackets and the embroidered angvastrams. It was like deliverance from imperialisms reminiscent of the days of the Raj.
Minister of Environment & Forest Shri Jairam Ramesh chose to discard the robe at the convocation of Indian Institute of Forest Management in Bhopal calling it nothing but an impractical colonial relic, and that made headlines, triggering the change and realization.
PTU has joined the elite club of technical education institutes in India like IIT, Varanasi IIT Hyderabad and IIT Ujjain who have bid farewell to this English tradition. Though we have multiple examples now wherein the dhoti-kurta or kurta pyjama, right down to Kolhapuri chappals have become the preferred attire for convocations besides the IITs, another one that’s worth a mention is the Viswa Bharti University, West Bengal – one of the oldest flag bearers of Indian tradition. The Chancellor, who happens to be the Prime Minister himself, and the Vice Chancellor do not adorn the robe.
Last but not the least, the attire of a region is what evolves out of a lot of factors including local culture, weather etc. In Indian tradition, wearing black at important ceremonies is anyways considered inauspicious. Aping the western world sans any consideration whatsoever and following pointless traditions just because they have been there for eons is certainly not what PTU graduates and the learned faculty wishes to do. PTU has ushered in a new era in Punjab which the right minds would emulate in the years to come. www.cityairnews.com