The governing body of a group of institutions in Puttur town in Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district has issued guidelines, suggesting that its students and faculty enter the campus with ‘tilak,’ ‘bindis’ and bangles.
Notices sent to some of the 41 institutions coming under the Vivekananda Vidyavardaka Sangha (VVS) lists out a series of guidelines — from making uniforms compulsory to banning of hijab, burqa, headscarf on the campus; to advising boys to sport tilak and girls to wear bangles and sport bindis. The latter part of the guidelines extends to the faculty too.
However, the Sangha said the guidelines did not make it compulsory for students to sport tilak or wear bangles and no action would be taken for their non-adherence.
VVS Secretary E. Shivaprasad said the guidelines sent during the admission period were issued yearly since 1965. “We have not received any complaints from either parents or students before.”
He, however, hastened to add that out of around 15,200 students in the 41 institutions — spread over Puttur, Sullia, Belthangady and Bantwal taluks — only around 100 were Muslims and Christians.
Selected students, who were asked by the management to answer queries to television channels, defended the notice. “Wearing bangles and bindis has a scientific reason to it. Moreover, it is our culture and we should protect it,” said Rajyashree, an engineering student, even as three faculty members stood behind her.
Most students who talked to The Hindu were unaware of the notice. Some said they would follow the guidelines only if they became rules.
No ambiguity
While there is ambiguity in the enforcement of the dress code, there is nothing ambiguous about the ban on hijab, burqa and headscarf. “Since hijab is not allowed on the campus, I wear it till the entrance. There is a ladies room provided by the security where I change out of it,” said a commerce student.
‘Discipline in uniform’
Mr. Shivaprasad said, “We have to maintain a discipline in uniform. That is why hijab and burqa are not allowed. For thousands of years, bindi, ear rings, bangles, toe rings, mangalsutra have been a part of Indian culture. Tilak, bindi and bangles are not confined to a particular religion. We have highlighted Hindu culture as it is a model religion and we have to preserve it.”
