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Students beeline to collect their convocation robes in Ranchi on Monday. Picture by Hardeep Singh
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Convocations are incomplete without the gowns and caps, once described as “barbaric colonial relics” by Union minister Jairam Ramesh but deemed indispensable by Ranchi University students on degree day.
Like every year, students of the varsity have lined up to grab the formal robe in which they will collect their certificates from Union HRD minister Pallam Raju during the 27th convocation on February 2.
Seven counters have been set up at Institute of Basic Sciences on the Morabadi campus for distribution of the gowns, which started from Monday and will continue till January 31. Two staff members have been deputed at each counter.
The students have to cough up a sum of Rs 1,000, which is refundable.
The counters remain open from 10.30am to 4pm. Till 3pm on Monday, as many as 600 gowns had been distributed.
“We got the gowns from a Delhi-based company, Pioneer. This company supplies gowns to different universities across India and the material with which they make the robes is really very good. Till a few years ago, we used to purchase the gowns from Lucknow, but stopped it because of the poor quality,” said P.K. Singh, chairman of college development council, Ranchi University.
The robes are available in three colours — red for PhD degree-holders, black and red for postgraduates and black and yellow for graduates.
There are separate lines for PhD degree-holders, graduates, postgraduates and gold medallists to ease the distribution process.
Around 3,700 degree-holders of the 2008-2011 batch will be felicitated on February 2. Of them, 38 are gold medallists (23 girls and 15 boys), 60 have completed PhD, 2,500 undergraduates and 1,200 postgraduates.
The students are looking forward to the event.
“I am excited about both wearing the gown and meeting my friends, whom I will be meeting after such a long time,” said Nita Kumari, a commerce graduate from Ranchi Women’s College.
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