Robes to give way to Indian attire at UP convocations

Uttar Pradesh governor Ram Naik on Saturday suggested to universities that students should no longer wear robes but Indian attire while receiving their degrees in convocation ceremonies, in accordance with late president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam's wishes.

Kalam, who passed away earlier this week, had said while attending a convocation ceremony in the state in 2006 that the gown reminded him of "colonial rule".

A Raj Bhavan official said that Governor Ram Naik, who is also the chancellor of these universities, thought this was a fitting tribute to the late president.

In another intervention the governor fixed the convocation dates of 21 varsities in the state.

Until now, all universities decided the dates on their own. This led to a lot of problems and delays.

Sources said that while President Pranab Mukherjee is likely to preside over the convocation ceremony at the Sanjay Gandhi Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to be the chief guest at the ceremony in Dr. Shakuntala Mishra National Rehabilitation University.

The convocation dates of these two educational institutes are being worked out with the PMO and Rashtrapati Bhavan, the official informed.