Odisha: VSSUT advises students to dress traditionally for the celebration
Students attending the next cultural festival at the Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology (VSSUT) Burla have been strictly instructed to dress in traditional Indian clothing.
The vice-chancellor’s registrar sent out a note on Wednesday, asking students to wear traditional or genuine Indian clothing. The warning specifically forbade students from wearing short, vulgar, or western outfits on campus during the festival.
“All VSSUT, Burla students are instructed to wear Indian traditional/authentic dresses during the Techno-Cultural Fest-2024,” the notice said. Additionally, the warning forbade students from wearing “Western/vulgar/short dresses” on university property on certain days. The warning also said, “Those not found in Indian traditional/authentic dresses will be sent back from the main gate immediately and the university will take the action as deemed fit.”
The four-day celebration, which includes the technical-cultural fest Samavesh and Vassaunt-2024, is scheduled from March 22 to March 25. Since the dress code regulation was announced, the event has generated criticism.
Students are not happy with the clothing requirement, even though the management argues that it is a way to promote Indian culture in keeping with the spirit of the event.
The VC said that the notification is being interpreted incorrectly. Since we are commemorating a cultural event, promoting Indian culture ought to be our main priority. Students have been advised to wear traditional attire and abstain from wearing western clothing during the festival, as it will serve as a positive example. Only this festival will be subject to the clothing code, he said.
On the other hand, a student that wished to remain anonymous said that the notice’s draught and delivery to the pupils communicate a completely incorrect and ridiculous message. “Had the varsity administration planned this, they could have presented the idea to the students and adopted it with a unanimous vote. Many students are resentful as a result of the warning, he said.
The school had issued a notice in 2018 telling residents of the ladies’ dormitory not to converse to guys on the roadway near the hostel, which caused a heated response among the students. This is not the first time that controversy has surrounded VSSUT’s orders. The varsity administration eventually rescinded the decree after fierce opposition.
