Delhi University ditches gowns for stoles on its 99th graduation ceremony

Two days before the ceremony, stacks of angavastra were still taking up most of the space at the Delhi University Women’s Association (DUWA) souvenir shop, which has been selling them since Monday

The Delhi University, for its 99th convocation ceremony on Saturday, has decided to do away with the long-held practice of graduating students wearing gowns and caps, and asked them to wear angavastras (stoles) instead.

Students completing their undergraduate degree will wear a yellow angavastra, post-graduate students will wear turquoise, and PhD scholars will don red stoles, according to university officials. The rest of the clothes can be of their choosing. (HT Photo)

Students completing their undergraduate degree will wear a yellow angavastra, post-graduate students will wear turquoise, and PhD scholars will don red stoles, according to university officials. The rest of the clothes can be of their choosing.

Two days before the ceremony, stacks of angavastra were still taking up most of the space at the Delhi University Women’s Association (DUWA) souvenir shop, which has been selling them since Monday.

The stoles have been priced at ₹710 each.

A stall will also be placed at the convocation hall on Saturday at the Delhi University Sports Stadium Complex from where the students can buy the stoles. More than 150,000 students will receive their degrees this year.

The university will also confer more than 840 PhD degrees this year, surpassing its previous record set in 2022.

To be sure, during previous convocation ceremonies, students did not purchase their graduation attire.

They would rent it from private vendors empowered by the university for about ₹1,000, and then return it after the ceremony.

DS Rawat, dean of examinations, said from this year, students can keep the stoles as a souvenir.

“Until now, graduating students borrowed the convocation gown from vendors after paying a security deposit. After the convocation, they were required to return the gown. This time, we are adopting angavastra as the convocation attire. The convocation attire can stay with them as a piece of memory that they can cherish going ahead in life,” said Rawat.

“Students will be able to purchase the attire at an economical price,” he added.

While some students complained that the price of the stole was too high, DU registrar Vikas Gupta said that the university took the decision to replace gowns with a more traditional Indian accessory after consultation with members of statutory bodies.

“The university is celebrating its centenary year. Most of us were of the view that the convocation attire should reflect our Indian culture and traditions. The new attire represents our culture while the gowns used earlier did not,” said Gupta.

However, Ashish (who gave just one name), a PhD scholar, was one of several students who said that the gown offered a semblance of uniformity, while just prescribing a stole did not ensure a dress code.

“There is no common dress code, so someone wearing a sherwani will stand out from another person wearing a formal suit with the stole,” he said.

President Droupadi Murmu will be the chief guest at the convocation ceremony, while Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan will be the guest of honour.

This is the first time that the university has initiated the process of printing the degrees prior to the convocation.

“Printing of degrees has already started. Earlier, students used to get the degrees two-three years after the convocation,” said Rawat.