As Suman Roy, 19, enters a prestigious city college, she is stopp...
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As Suman Roy, 19, enters a prestigious city college, she is stopped by a security guard.He scans her to check whether she's 'appropriately' dressed - sleeveless tops, jeans and leggings are a no-no.
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BENGALURU: As Suman Roy, 19, enters a prestigious city college, she is stopped by a security guard. He scans her to check whether she's 'appropriately' dressed - sleeveless tops, jeans and leggings are a no-no. "I hate it when the first thing you're told in the morning is that your attire is inappropriate. Without having a clue about who I am, a stranger judges me solely on the basis of what I wear. For god's sake, I am an adult," says Roy, who has been subject to the scrutiny ever since she came to Bengaluru a year ago.
With students of National Law School of India University (NLSIU) wearing shorts to class, the dress code debate has resurfaced. The students' move came after a professor, V Nagaraj, allegedly passed an inappropriate remark after a girl student came to class in shorts. In solidarity with her and as a mark of protest, all third-year LLB girl students followed suit on April 7.
While teachers, academicians and some students think it is necessary to have a dress code on campus, they feel college authorities must not insult students in public. "What the professor told the girl was wrong. That is not the way one speaks to a girl. However, it is also wrong to turn up in shorts,'' said a college principal on condition of anonymity.
Suparna Naresh, assistant professor of media studies from Christ College, is all for a dress code. "Classroom decorum has to be maintained, like it is done in the Army. Do we question that? There is nothing wrong in asking students to follow a dress code when they attend class. It gives them a sense of discipline, purpose and uniformity. I expect my students to be decently dressed. But I don't agree with the way the message was conveyed to the NLSIU student," she said. "It is a sensitive issue and could have been handled diplomatically," she added.
"What the professor said is objectionable. The students we deal with are not kindergarteners. They are matured students who have joined prestigious universities after clearing tough entrance exams. No teacher should take them for granted. The NLSIU issue could have been addressed differently," said a professor of psychology from a city college, who refused to be named.
According to Dr V Uma, head of department in a private college, dress code must be imposed. "Students are in class only between 10am to 3pm and they must follow the prescribed dress code," she said.
For Madhuparna Sreemani, a second-year student of humanities from a private college, clothing is about comfort. “But we have to follow the rules,“ she says.
NLSIU has convened a meeting on Monday to discuss the issue.