Authorities say it is to maintain discipline
Four girls of Adarsh Women’s College, Bhiwani were fined Rs. 100 each on Friday for defying a 40-year-old dress code of the college that bans wearing T-shirts.
The college authorities have justified the action saying the fine had been imposed to maintain discipline, although a section of the students and faculty are unhappy.
Principal Alka Sharma told reporters, “The management has implemented a dress code for students and staff since 1970. The girls must wear white salwar kameez every Monday and any colour salwar kameez the rest of the days. The women staff must come dressed in saris, while formal trousers and shirt is the dress code for the male staff. With the changing times, we have allowed the girls to wear jeans paired with long kurtas, but these girls were wearing T-shirts.”
“Another reason for the ban is to maintain the decorum of the college. Every child should look the same, irrespective of which class he/she belongs, and through this nobody will have superiority or inferiority complex. Considering all these things, all girls should come in Indian dress and should not wear jeans and T-shirts as it attracts men,” said Ms. Sharma.
Though the incident has generated outrage among liberal women’s organisations, dress codes in colleges and fining students for violations is not uncommon even in metropolitan cities. Even well-known colleges are known to impose restrictions on wearing sleeveless tops or capris to classes.
President of the Haryana Janwadi Mahila Samiti Jagmati Sangwan told The Hindu, “Dress codes are not a solution to eve teasing and crimes against women. Girls from poor families or dalits are hardly seen in jeans, and yet are victims of gang rapes in Haryana. Unless the social mindset, which discriminates against women, changes, such cosmetic measures will not help much.”
Keywords: Adarsh Women’s College, dress code
Boy getting attracted to girl is natural. Be it in T Shirt or Salwar.
Now would you want to compromise on this? A boy attracted to boy? Then
pass that law. Banning T Shirt is the highest act of stupidity that an
education institution can show towards grown adults. These colleges
have to start preparing students for their real life and let them learn
to respect others as they are irrespective of their financial
background, race, color, gender etc. By imposing what few think is
moral or cultural on a large sect of population w/o hearing their say
in this is just stupid. Dress or the way to dress may have been the
cause of many issues, but root cause is the other gender is kept in
silo till they are out in real world and nobody taught them to respect
other's choice.
@Manoj -The first part of your answer makes sense- fight for a proper
dress code. The second part where you compare a woman's body to a
house and her dress to the security guard makes no sense whatsoever.
The security for a woman comes from the laws of the land and the
people who implement it, which uphold her dignity and freedom.
As far as I know, men are thinking sex all the time and it doesn't
matter if the woman shows only her face or her entire body. The right
kind of man will control his natural tendencies and the wrong kind
will vent it. Only the law and enforcement agencies can rein in the
wrong kind.
A dress code imposed in college to keep the environment more formal [=> no jeans for men too] is ok. not something I root for but still ok as they have a theme in mind. But as quoted by Ms. Sharma "all girls should come in Indian dress and should not wear jeans and T-shirts as it attracts men,” is crock. As one of the commenter pointed out why should the onus of preventing any sexual harassment fall on the woman's choice of attire? Men choose to wear pants and jeans instead of dhothis for convenience, why can't women do the same? Surely, indian men can respect women and not just objectify them.
Madam Ms.Sharma !!! Wake up ... Guys won't like girls by their dress but
their attitude. You can't stop men by stopping girls. Poor girls got
fined. Come with different options. Can you please explain how you want
to restrict difference between different sections of society by allowing
girls to wear their desired salwar kammez, some worths 500/- some may
worth 25K. Instead implement college uniform.
Tha Taliban is alive and well in India.
I personally believe that the justification by the institution is
reasonable, whether it is in the liking of the students or not is a
different story. Dress codes are strictly adhered to even in work
places. My personal experience, I was asked to go back home from
Cognizant Technology Solutions once for not wearing shoes (in a sweaty
Chennai Summer). Can I find fault with them? So, I don't understand
even the need for this in the print...
Second the issue raised by President of the Haryana Janwadi Mahila
Samiti Jagmati Sangwan: Dress codes were never intended to be a
solution to social evils like eve (adam) teasing, gang-rapes, etc.
These incidents, studies will show, are mostly motivated by
social/gender/class bias. Like in the case of Dalits, the rapists are
also racists. Had they be apprehended and analyzed (psychologically),
the reasons would be clear as not the attraction. So I take this
opportunity to pray these organization to not vitiate the atmosphere
for their petty politics.
It is crystal clear that,the Dalits or poor are not being attacked due
to their attractive dress code,but the antisocial elements find them too
weak to defend themselves.
If all girls should come in Indian dress, why all boys should come in western dress??? from: Rachana
Loud wistle and claps for you Rachana!!! I wish every one thinks like you. From trains to electronics to life saving medications we need the westerners, but why this taboo against western clothes for women or western culture in general.
Education means not only learn some subjects, but also be disciplined too. In short be a real person. A person who can take care of itself and others too. I want to mean, make one self-sufficient. When I was in college, we also had dress-code,off-white salwar kameez for all 6 days. Most of the students didn't follow the suite, but I did. College in an industrial place, it was quite difficult to keep the dress clean. But I, myself tried as much as possible to keep it clean. And thus I cultivate a good habit. What I want to say, is don't look at the matter of dress-code as something imposed on you forcibly and you are discriminated, rather respect the discipline and believe me in future you'll thank yourself for this decision.
Well said the staff reporter. The same dress code is followed in almost all the pvt engineerning colleges in tamil nadu. Why don't media/public make a big issue out of it? Also, its the private rules of the college. Instead of talking such things, it would be better to cover burning issues like quality of the education system which is going down day by day.
First thing here is about the fine imposed for violating the dress
code. Any one who violates a rule has to be punished. Whether the rule
is moral or not is secondary. Now coming to the dress code, its the
wish of the college management and if some one has an issue with it,
they have to address it to the management and sort it out. So fight
for a proper dress code but not for the fine imposed.
we warn people to take some measures so as to avoid theft,
like employing a watch man, locking doors properly, and other security
measures. If some one is not so careful about their house which got
looted, don't we blame them? Yes a thief is surely anti-social element
and no one supports him but still on our side we have to be careful.
Now do not come up with an instance of a house where proper security
is employed but still succumbed to theft!
It is better to ask them to come in college uniforms , so that no women will be attracted and when they go to work , they should were the same .
Dress code is a reminder of discipline and respect to rules. Even in Western Countries, most schools have uniforms and generally the sort after private and grammar schools have a dress policy. If we do not follow discipline, soon we will be calling our teachers and parents by their first names, they become our mates and soon we will not have any respect for them. We will smoke and drink with them and soon we will not have any respect for law and order. People who talk about evolving should look at the West for the real difference this culture has brought to the community and how grown ups years for the good old discipline in schools. Unfortunately there are a lot of do gooders who fashion our future.
Please teach fashion along with dress codes. A educational institution should teach holistically how to take up a carrier and "Dressing and how we look" matters very much.
I can give a citation of "Indra Gandhi" where she became a powerful PM while having a hairstyle which is very uncommon to native population and taboo to many and soon many women seems to look like that. In a country where actors become politicians. looking good is power.
Unless you teach them how to elegantly dress(i don't mean to dress by your opinion), they will not attract jobs. Your idea of empowering women will fail miserably. Please understand, what you have mentioned as the dress code for men is not formal, its called "Business Casual".
It is not an offense to fine for wrong dress code, you can make them do some community service, there by they would learn reasons to dress right rather than paying a fine and get away not understanding the idea. Men get attracted to women no matter they wear T-shirts or not.
I liked the comment Rachna made. If you want the girls to come in
traditional indian dress, why the same rule does not apply to the
boys?
Secondly, wearing indian does not make them less attractive.
There should be an effort to make our men more responsible to avoid
such cases.
"..should not wear jeans and T-shirts as it attracts men" such
comments from principal shows the basic problem that even learned
women of our society thinks that such incidents are the responsibility
of girls.
why is it necessary to challenge already defined rules all the time?? What
was the urge to wear such clothes that rules does not allow??
This fine is very much justified. When the college has said it is a rule, then that rule has to be followed. It is a different question whether a rule is valid or not. Its similar to lot of rules imposed by Govt, we may not agree to all of them but we must still adhere to it. If you dont agree, try to change, otherwise abide.
this rule must be implemented throughout the nation for better results.
Good step by the manegement preventing the girls before they advance to skirt, micro mini skirt and two piece for "college" which is a place for learning something... tough this alone cannot stop the violence against the girls, this is one among the many steps to be taken.. well done..
As Mrs. Jagmati Sangwan said such measures are only cosmetic. The poor Dalit girls of Haryana who get gang-raped were not wearing Jeans and T-shirt. It is the fact that the system is lenient,the conviction rate for crimes against is very low. One is almost certain to get away with crimes against women nowadays. And it is the responsibility of the men to control their urges. Why is the responsibility put on women to ensure they do not attract men towards them? In fact by creating a society where such things are imposed on people especially you only create irresponsible citizens who need to be checked all the time by system so that they behave in accordance with the law. Children of India and the students of India need to be groomed into citizens who should not need the system to impose restrictions on them to behave responsibly.
If all girls should come in Indian dress, why all boys should come in western dress???
Come on guys!!! what's wrong with T Shirts?? Start evolving people!!
The idea of controlling the citizens, their behavior, dress codes,
morals is ridiculous. Unfortunate remains from the Nehru era..
No one can stop FDI - be it in retail or dress code. Something which is
not there internally cannot be forced externally... only a matter of
time.
Dress codes are not only imposed in Indian colleges. It is also there in American colleges. For example on specific days man and woman are not allowed to wear a dress that is shorter than knee height. If there are meetings even the jeans are restricted. Also party and beach dresses are not allowed in American colleges. So, these codes are there around the world and for specific reasons which varies from place to place.
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