The winds of change are blowing wild and free across the Universities in Rajasthan. After replacing the convocation gowns and hats with Indian attire as the formal dress code, there are a couple of other significant changes that will soon be introduced in the state’s varsities.
Kalyan Singh, the Governor and Chancellor of Rajasthan University, who was in Kota to preside over the 9th Convocation Ceremony of the Vardhman Mahaveer Open University, said that the Government has taken three decisions regarding the state-run Universities. The Governor said, “The state varsities will need to install a permanent Tricolour on their campuses,” adding, “The other changes include starting a centre in the University in the names of historical legends such as Chanakya, Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, Maharana Pratap, among many others. It will be mandatory for the state varsities to prepare a Convocation Song (kula geet) to be played during the convocation ceremony.”
The Governor informed that his office would soon issue a set of guidelines including the dimensions of the National Flag, the length of its pole and other aspects of the Tricolor for the Universities to follow in toto. However, he did not cite any reasons for installing the Tricolor in the Universities but emphasised that the Government’s focus is on promoting nationalistic feelings in the educational institutions.
While addressing the Convocation Ceremony, the Governor said that Rajasthan has become the first state in the country to get rid of the convocation gowns and hats. “The traditional convocation gowns and hats are symbols of ‘colonialism’ and the change aims to get over the colonial hangover and promote Indian culture instead,” he said.
The Governor conferred the Degree of D.Lit. on Dr Dalveer Bhandari, the Justice of the International Court of Justice, and awarded Gold Medals and Degrees to 53 students on the occasion. Others who were present on the occasion included Vice-Chancellor Professor Ashok Sharma and Higher Education Minister, Rajasthan Kali Charan Sarraf.