KOLKATA: Many students at Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose College turned up on the campus in distressed jeans on Monday, despite the principal barring people from wearing “artificially torn clothes” on the premises. While the rule has led to myriad reactions from within and outside the student community, some teachers at the college counselled students to follow the rule.
Rafey Zaheer, a student, said he did not believe the notice made a lot of sense. “ Also, going by today’s standards of popular fashion, it is rather difficult to find a pair of jeans that are not ripped.” Former student and activist Ravi Sinhotra, who sported a pair of jeans with tears in them, said, “The question of decency or decorum should be reconsidered by the authorities because it is a rather relative term. Some students have suggested to the authorities that they amend the rule to include ‘inappropriate clothing’.”
Yet others expressed a neutral stance, pointing out that while they were not personally inclined to agree with the ban, they would accept the standards of decorum set by the college. Student Rohit Rao said, “On one hand, I appreciate the rationale behind this step by the authorities. A college is a formal setting, where we students are being trained to enter society and so, we should accept the general standards of appropriateness set by it. But at the same time, a lot of my friends believe as we are young, college is the only chance we have to express ourselves the way we want before joining the workforce. Also, a lot of us come from middle-class families and it may be difficult to change one’s wardrobe.” Echoing Rao, another student said, “It is completely alright for educational institutions to have their own set of rules. But these changes should not be made in the middle of the academic session. Colleges should be clear about what they want from their students before they join, so that the youngsters can decide whether the institute’s values match their own or not.”
There were a few, like, student Sarnali Singh, who agreed with the ban and said she and her friends had no issues with it. “The notice does not surprise me. I myself feel uncomfortable seeing my peers in such clothing. I think students can easily abstain from fashionably torn jeans. Surely that is not the only kind of clothing in one’s wardrobe,” said Arts student Simmi Jamal.
The notice is apparently not only intended for students but also includes college staff. College staff Uday Bhanu Dhole said, “We understand that since today is the first working day after the notice has come into effect, many students, unaware of the prohibition, will show up in the banned clothing. We are using this time to counsel some of these students and make them understand why the authorities made this decision.”
Principal Purna Chandra Maity had said on Saturday, “This is a small step to remind students how to dress in a formal set up. It will be easy for a student to comply with. We are not stopping them from wearing what they want. This is just a small stipulation to maintain the sanctity of the establishment.”
