Mizoram varsity asks students, faculties to don handloom attire once a week

Aizawl, Oct 8 (IANS) In order to encourage appreciation of India's rich handloom heritage and to promote the use of traditional textiles in academic life, Mizoram University has directed all students, faculty, and staff to wear handloom-based garments at least once in a week.

The Mizoram University’s notification issued following the directives from the Ministry of Education of the government of India.

With the approval of the Vice-Chancellor, the notification was issued by Assistant Registrar of the varsity C. Lalfakkimi said that all students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to wear handloom-based garments at least once a week, preferably on Wednesdays or Fridays as part of the University's cultural practice to foster a deeper connection with India's textile heritage.

The notification said that the departments, schools, and administrative sections of the University shall ensure adequate outreach and promotion of handloom garments through University social media handles and other communication platforms.

Events, photographs, and initiatives highlighting handloom use may be shared to raise awareness and visibility, it said.

The notification asked all the Deans and Heads of Academic and Administrative Departments to ensure effective implementation of this initiative in their respective units and encourage active participation.

Meanwhile, the Mizoram government earlier urged the people to promote Mizo traditional attires by wearing them more often.

A senior official of the General Administration Department (GAD) had said that in order to evoke pride in their culture, the Mizoram government has earlier urged all the people, including government employees, to wear ethnic attires more often to promote the community’s traditions, customs and folklore.

“We have issued notifications on a number of occasions earlier requesting all, specially government employees including those at Public Sector Undertakings, boards, bodies and agencies to wear traditional Mizo attires at the workplace at least once a week, preferably every Wednesday. This is expected to inculcate closeness to their Mizo culture and tradition, and simultaneously promote innovations in designs and production of cultural attires,” the GAD official had said.

Wearing Mizo attire at the workplace is, however, voluntary, the official pointed out and said that a fresh notification was issued recently on the advice of Chief Minister Lalduhoma. For the last many years the state government has been asking people and government employees to wear Mizo attires more frequently in order to promote the Mizo community’s pride in its rituals, traditions, customs and folklore.

--IANS

sc/pgh