Thrissur: Kerala Medical University has taken a curious step to get rid of the convocation robes worn at graduation ceremony. This year, graduates will receive their certificates wearing Kerala style attire. The girls will dazzle in Kerala saree and blouse while the boys wear traditional ‘mundu’(dhoti) and kurta. 

Governor Arif Mohammad Khan will also wear kurta and ‘mundu’ in the function at the University senate hall. Health Minister Veena George, who is also the pro-chancellor, will adorn a Kerala saree. It is for the first time that a university is conducting a graduation ceremony by wearing traditional outfits. In 2019, UGC had directed the universities to denounce the colonial attire worn by the students in the graduation ceremony. But no university adhered to this suggestion. 

The students will wear a ‘kasavu veshti’ (Dhoti with golden threaded border) also on their shoulders and this will be gifted by the university. The boys are directed to wear yellow-tinged white shirts and the girls should wear the same colour blouse. 

Abiding to Covid protocols, only 50 students will participate in the ceremony. Rank holders and other award winners are only selected for the programme. This year, over 15,000 graduates and postgraduates are coming out from different streams including allopathy, ayurveda, homeopathy, nursing, pharmacy and laboratory technology. Live streaming of the event will be available in the YouTube link on the University website.