IIT Kanpur students defy convention, don Indian attire for convocation

IIT Kanpur students on Thursday turned a new leaf when, for the first time in its history, they dressed in Indian ethnic attire instead of the ceremonial black robes and headgears. IIT-K Director, Professor Indranil Manna said that for the first time, students received their degrees at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) not in the British-time gowns and headgears, but in kurta pajamas (for boys) and kurta-salwar (for girls) along with stoles in different colours to mark their specific courses. He stated that henceforth, the students will wear Indian clothes in all future convocations. Tata Sons chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran presented the degrees to 673 students of B Tech and 136 students of BS (Bachelor of Science)   The convocation ceremony coincided with the golden jubilee of the institute and to mark the occasion, professors of the institute wore golden coloured robes over their suits. Manna also said that the students can do away with black leather shoes and are free to use any Indian footwear in leather. It was IIT-K’s 50th convocation. As parents beamed with pride, students clicked their last pictures together before they parted. A pair of traditional graduation gown and headgear was placed outside the main for grads who fancied a picture in it.