Mysorean

SIGNATURE CAMPAIGN: Students' Federation of India volunteers getting signatures from Anna University Students against the dress code. — Photo: N. Sridharan

CHENNAI: : The "freedom to dress" movement is rapidly catching on in the city if the signature campaign undertaken by the Students Federation of India against Anna University's imposition of a dress code in 231 engineering colleges is an indication.

Within an hour of starting their "sign up to say no to the dress code" campaign before Anna University on Thursday, 15 SFI volunteers procured 350 signatures. They had undertaken a similar initiative in Tiruchi and Coimbatore.

"The dress code is blatantly patriarchal and anti-women. If, at the age of 18, students can be given the right to elect their Prime Minister, can they not choose how they dress? Prohibiting women from wearing trousers etc. denies them the right to dress comfortably," said Lenin, south Chennai district secretary, SFI.

Students, mostly girls, lost no time in registering their protest. "We need a forum to express our displeasure. The entire idea seems designed to go against the rights of women students. Jeans and T-shirts are an essential part of college attire the world over. Why should we be asked to keep off?" asked a civil engineering student.

The signatures will be presented to Vice-Chancellor D. Viswanathan to impress upon him the need to withdraw the code. Similar campaigns will be taken up in private institutions.

The Consortium of Professional, Arts and Science Colleges in Tamil Nadu welcomed the dress code and said it would be enforced in all its institutions. Terming the varsity's move "praiseworthy," Consortium president Jeppiar said in a release it would benefit students in the long run and improve discipline on the campus.

As expected, the students are going about getting signatures to protest against the dress code. The students are showing that they are not going to take this lying down and the authorities are being insensitive to their feelings. A rule is a rule is their stance.

A formal dress code at college, when seen from the point of view of a dress code and nothing else, sounds like its nothing wrong. But when you see college as fun. Whenever you recall those days & say, "Wow! What fun man we had those days!". It was because there was carefree-ness and a sense of freedom. We could do whatever we wanted. The Blue jeans and t-shirt was what we wore. Daily.

Implementing a formal dress code doesn't mean that we won't have fun. Now, we have one more rule to be broken. So, more fun! ;-) So, come on guys! Ensoi!