Karnataka - Bangalore   

Decoding the dress code

— FILE PHOTO

Restricted?:Many students are of the opinion that college is the time when one should be allowed to experiment with clothes and style.

BANGALORE: College students in Bangalore are getting ready for classes to begin. Besides apprehensions and discussions about lecturers, the syllabus and canteen food, another concern for the students is that of what to wear — or not to wear. While the prospect of outgrowing uniforms and flaunting their “style” is exciting, the dress code in place in some colleges plays spoilsport by imposing restrictions. However, some of the top colleges in the city appear to have “dressed down” their dress code.

“We do not have a dress code as such, but we expect students to dress decently. Youngsters these days are smart enough to decide how they must dress to college and for other occasions,” said Nandini N., director of student welfare, Bangalore University.

Meanwhile, contrary to popular perception, Naureen Aziz, lecturer at Jyoti Nivas College, said it is the parents who insist on a dress code for their wards' “safety”. “Students commute from different parts of the city by public transport. So it is important they dress decently for their safety,” she explained.

Several students felt differently. Rhea Gopal, a student of Mount Carmel College, was of the view that dress codes seem to only target girl students. “Boys too must have a dress code as it is quite an unpleasant sight to watch them lift their low-waist jeans while running to catch a bus.”

On the other hand, Sushanth Babu, student at the Bangalore Institute of Technology, said college is the time when one should experiment with clothing and style. “Whether it is low-waist jeans or shorts, we should be allowed to wear what we want,” he said. “During school we all had a compulsory uniform and we entered college hoping we would break free from such restrictions. But it seems like dress codes are here to stay.”

While some colleges in the city do not put restrictions on wearing jeans and t-shirts, others expect their students to follow a strict dress code. A student of Christ University, Namitha Dileep, explained how it would be reasonable to buy a pair of jeans and a t-shirt as compared to a salwar suit. “If I calculate how much I spend for a good quality salwar suit, it would cost over Rs. 1,000. But t-shirts and jeans are cheaper and can be worn often,” said Namitha.

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