'No black robes in convocations, instead…': PM Modi tell AIIMS, other top institutes

In a bid to decolonise and indigenise the education system, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has recently asked all the medical teaching institutions affiliated to the central government. This includes the premier All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to wear traditional Indian dress during convocations.

This directive is in line with the ‘Panch Pran’ that the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set for the country to free itself from colonial mindset and be proud of its culture.

The tradition of wearing black robes and caps during convocations, which has its origin in medieval Europe and was adopted by British colonial masters, is likely to be changed.

The ministry has stressed that this attire is a “colonial remnant that requires modification” as part of the ongoing process of decolonisation in India.

All institutes under the health ministry, including AIIMS, have been asked to prepare the new patterns of convocation dress code that will depict the cultural ethos of the particular state where the institute is situated.

For example, students in Punjab could dress in salwar-kurtas, students in Kerala and Tamil Nadu in sarees. This approach is meant to increase the regional and cultural orientation of the convocation ceremonies.

It is one of the ‘Panch Pran’ or the ‘Five Vows’ announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address to the nation on Independence Day 2022.

These resolutions are intended to regulate the further evolution of India within the next twenty-five years, with the emphasis on the complete eradication of colonialism and the pride for the Indian origins.

The aim is to promote the feeling of togetherness as well as responsibility of every citizen and at the same time the development of the country should be in accordance with the Indian ethos.