Amma, Attire and other stories

The New York Times

Chennai Diary
For Our correspondent presently in Chennai
Sue Robinson

The hand of the moral police has now struck – the schools. Yesterday, the students of PL school, a Prestigious Public school in Chennai indulged in signature campaigns and hartal outside the schools demanding ‘freedom’ from school uniforms. Vinod, a Class XII student said, “We demand the end of the uniform rule. It is repressive, regressive and unfashionable”, he said. J added, “Young people like us must be allowed to make our own choice.”
R, a class XI student, “Insisting everyone wear similar clothes is insulting our individuality and creativity”. “It is also unequal. Middle school students get to wear short pants”

The All India Women’s Democratic Association supported the students alleging the school administration was Talibanic and claiming that the uniform rule was targeted at girls and it perpetuated the age old discrimination against women in India.

The Palit Danthers of India) have filed a Public Interest Litigation against the Department of Education. The Federation of Students in India (no relation to parties cited by the Mitrokin archives) have stated that they do not support the uniforms in school but would like the students to wear red. The KMD, the principal Opposition party, have said that the FSI suggestion would be acceptable only if the colour code was red and black, and have moved a resolution to this effect.
The AIAKMD government is planning to bring out an ordinance specifying red and black as official cloth colours but only when worn with a white belt. The textile industry has booked the Nehru stadium as the venue to felicitate the ‘Revolutionary Leader’ Chief Minister at having taken the historic decision.

The World School Students’ Conference has also expressed solidarity with the students. The representatives of Pakistan however condemned the resolution.One student in Bihar and another form Mizoram committed suicide to express his solidarity with the student community.