Dress Code- A suppression of expession

This post is about a recent rule brought about in my alma mater- Anna University. A new vice-chancellor took over recently, and he has decided to impose some of his perceptions of propriety on 50,000 students all over Tamil Nadu. To quote the directive from Anna University website:

"The dress code states that students should not wear jeans, t-shirts, skirts or sleeveless and tight-fitting outfits and enjoins them to dress conservatively."

Chennai has always been a conservative city, but it generally avoids contoversies. Such imposition of "Indian culture" is usually restricted to the likes of Siva Sena and VHP in the north. So it really surprised me to hear about this happening at my own backyard.

To quote the VC's comments on the rule:

"We are only trying to ensure that students dress decently and modestly, in a way that befits our culture. A dress code will also pre-empt harassment of women students,"

Sorry sir.. I differ on your arguements. I do not accept your interpretation of "Indian Culture"

Traditional Indian attire for women used to be two-piece which exposed much of the upper body. Women in ancient Indian society were much more emancipated when compared to women in the modern Indian society. Somewhere down the line in history, the rights of women diminished and the dress they were required to wear increased.

Dont mistake me.. I dont say all girls should start wearing two piece. Dress in whatever you feel comfortable in...

Dress is a form of expression. You feel good when you dress good. It is a way of stating your attitude and character; a way of expressing creativity. In the modern society Jeans and T-shirts have become symbols of youthfulness and confidence. Any move to ban them is retrograde and antidiluvian.

As for short skirts, low hip jeans, short tops, etc... These are symbols of culture change. They are not yet totally accepted by the Indian middle class society. The college is a place where much of the cultural change happens. Dont try to control the change, because you cannot.

Ok now for the second argument: Girls who wear "modern" clothes are more susceptible to harrassment.

I do not accept or deny this. You need to perform a scientific survey to determine it. Like I already said, such clothes have become symbols of confidence. My hypothesis is that girls who wear modern dresses handle harrassment in a bolder way than girls who dont. From my experience, most harassers steer clear of girls who are not intimidated. The solution to harrassment of women comes by empowering them, not restricting them.

Finally to prevent more criticism from women organizations, the vice-chancellor has said even boys will be banned from wearing jeans and t-shirts. They should be dressed in formal shirts and pants. I dont understand why if certain type of western clothes are acceptable, certain others are not.

Zen - an art we ignored

Everybody should have heard of Zen - the Japanese art of meditation practiced by Buddist monks who seem to have their body and mind in communion. Zen is glorified by the Hollywood and its popularity in the western world ever increasing. Be it the old Chinese movies of martial arts or the latest "Matrix" the control of mind is always something which fascinates everyone. To be in a world of eternal happiness and not being affected by the everyday good and bad happenings are things which attract many of us.

What surprised me was that Zen had an Indian origin. A guy by the name of Bodhidharma travelled from Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu to China to spread the word about Buddhism. He taught the Chinese monks the art of meditation (dhyan) which they called "chan". This later went to Japan as "Zazen" and then to the west as Zen.

If not for the Hollywood movies and the western books, I probably would never have heard of Zen. Isnt it ironic, that something that originated from India had to travel all the way around the world (literally!) for me to hear it back in India.

It seems Bodhidharma found that the Chinese monks at the Shaolin temple were totally out of shape (probably eating too much cheese!) and he wanted to set a regimen of exercises for them. These exercises along with the traditional Chinese knowledge of martial arts evolved into the modern day "kung-fu". There have been surmises that Bodhidharma could have transferred some of his knowledge of "Kalaripayattu" - a form of martial arts from Kerala. He seems to be credited for introducing tea in China too!

The last few statements may or may not be true, but what is true is that, we tend to ignore a lot of good things about our own country and try to look abroad for inspiration. India might not be the home of Newtons and Einsteins but we have our own share of "inventors" and philosophers. Its a pity that we were not taught about these things at school, so that we could feel proud of ourselves and act a lot more confident when dealing with the world.