STUDENTS GRADUATING from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-B) this year will wear khadi ‘uttarias’ around the neck over their white robes at the convocation. While a press release from the Press Information Bureau (PIB) said the institute had chosen khadi robes for convocation, the institute clarified that orders for uttarias, or stoles, had been placed. Responding to an email, Dean Academic Affairs, Narayan Rangraj said, “There is no such decision to use khadi robes. Students have to wear white dresses as per code of convocation, which has been the case for the last many years.” He said, “We have ordered coloured uttarias from Khadi Bhavan, Mumbai, as part of the regular routine purchase of these items.” Meanwhile, Director Devang Khakhar, who has been quoted in the PIB release, refused to comment on the matter stating that no information on khadi robes had been issued by the institute.
