Delhi University is on a cover-up drive.
Its dress diktat to students, who left on Monday for Punjab on the Gyanodaya Express on a week-long study trip, has created a furor on campus. University officials have justified issuing these draconian guidelines citing safety of women and respect for cultural and religious ethos of the places the students will be visiting.
Students will visit Amritsar, ludhiana and Jalandhar in Punjab and Kurukshetra in Haryana. The step has been taken to ensure girls’ safety, DU officials say. Shorts and skirts are a big no on the list of dos and don’ts for the 900 students who began a week-long study trip on Monday. The University has laid out a code of conduct for the students — both boys and girls — who left for Punjab on the exclusive educational train. The students, most of them adults, have been told to ‘strictly adhere’ to the dress code. Girls will not wear skirts, shorts or spaghetti tops.
No shorts or sleeveless T-shirts for boys. “Although the issue of dress code for girls is very value-laden at this point, but travelling through the interiors of the country with the intention of respecting cultures must also be factored in,” said Kanica Khandelwal, Professor, Psychology, lady Shri Ram College. This precautionary measure has been taken since students may have to interact with people on the journey. There are students from the UK as well and DU does not want anything untoward to happen.
“Even when you go mountaineering, you are dressed for the occasion. Similarly, students have been asked to adhere to certain guidelines since they will be travelling through the heartland. They are expected to understand and not offend cultures. If they enter the Golden Temple listed on the itinerary, would they be wearing skirtsIJ” said Alka Sharma, Registrar, DU.
DU’s train of thought gathers steam
Delhi University’s yearly educational excursion by Gyanodaya Express pulled out of Kurukshetra on Monday with 900 students, including 150 students from Edinburgh and london. The third such educational trip of the University, it was flagged off by Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Minister of State for Railways. It will traverse Amritsar, ludhiana, Chandigarh and Kurukshetra over a course of one week.
The Golden Temple and Wagah Border will be the main attractions for the touring students. “After Amritsar, we will be visiting some major industries, gurudwaras in Chandigarh, Jalandhar and ludhiana. Punjab University will also be one of the important destinations on our itinerary and after that Chandigarh will again be our last stop from where we will head back to Delhi on September 8. So far the journey has been full of excitement and enthusiasm, particularly for the foreign students. They have been interacting with their Indian counterparts and been highly incredulous of the country’s cultural and historical legacy,” said Gulshan Sawhney, Deputy Dean, Students’ Welfare.
Students aboard are required to work on projects to gain insight and interact for a better learning experience. “The educational train comes equipped with a library for conducting brief projects, documenting the entrepreneurial spirit of Punjab, its agriculture, dance, music and cuisine,” emphasised Alka Sharma, Registrar, DU.