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Shades tell a story

As shopping for school uniform begins, Deepa H Ramakrishnan writes about what colour means to students

Photo: T. Singaravelou

UNIFORM SPIRIT Girls of a school in a celebratory mood

Walking past or driving past your old school, doesn’t your heart go out to that set of white shirt and blue skirt or trousers?The mind is caught in a swirl of memories — of school assemblies, sports meets that were rained in, cups and med als, excursions and last days of exams when children sprayed ink on each other.

“It used to be such a pretty sight, rows of spotless white shirts, and blue skirts. Hair neatly tied in ribbons and feet in shining pair of shoes. The St. Joseph of Cluny School uniform was beautiful, and it still is the best uniform in Puducherry,” says Anita Rheeman, an alumni of the school. “The colours are from those of Sister Anne Marie Jaboueh’s habit, who founded the Cluny Congregation. These are also the colours that Mother Mary is depicted in. Now the uniform has undergone certain changes. The girls wear sandals and salwars were introduced for students of higher classes, but it is still a beautiful sight,” she adds.

“The two shades of grey have been our school colours from time immemorial. The tie was introduced later in the nineties,” says Father Antonysamy, principal Petit Seminaire Higher Secondary School. The building too wears the colour. “The uniforms are available at school too, but if the parents want, they can buy from outside,” he says. The Father studied in St Joseph’s Cuddalore where the colours were white and white in the beginning and later changed to white and blue.

Many schools these days have tie ups with shops to supply uniform material in bulk. “They also provide sandals, shoes, notebooks and bags, and so we are saved the trouble of shopping for each separately,” says Vidya, an ex-student of St. Mary’s Cuddalore. She used to wear a green and white uniform, but her favourite was the red and white combination worn by those belonging to the Ruby House (another group in her school).

For children who are studying in schools that don’t supply these things, the month of May is when they go shopping with their parents. Rajendras on Jawaharlal Nehru Street stocks uniforms of schools, industries and offices. “Nowadays customers come looking for quality cotton material, rather than synthetic. There are some who buy six sets, for six working days,” says Rajendran, the proprietor.

A former student of Fathima School in Karivadikuppam that had a white shirt and sky blue uniform, Rajendran prefers light pastel colours and blues.

Ram Silks on Nehru Street sells uniforms at mill rate for bulk purchases by institutions and factories.

The Amudhasurabi Cooperative Stores organises a school mela this season so that parents can shop for everything under one roof. The Chief Minister N. Rangasamy inaugurated the mela recently.

There are also schools, such as the Lycee and the Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education, that don’t have a uniform. “We don’t strive for uniformity but encourage diversity. We don’t have any dress code and children can wear anything they are comfortable in. It has been that way since the 1940s when the school was established,” says Matriprasad, a teacher at Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education, which has a strength of about 400 students.

The school, however, has a uniform for sports — different coloured shorts for different classes. “It is perfect for the Pondy weather,” adds Matriprasad.

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