Imphal, Oct. 14: Trendy outfits, body-hugging jeans and sleek tops, coupled with some fashion accessories, were just some of the things you could associate with college-going Manipuri girls. Not any more, though.

The phanek sarong (traditional skirt) has replaced designer jeans and other Western outfits in educational institutions here as students have been forced to comply with a dress code imposed by the underground Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL).

The sight of girls riding to schools and colleges on their two-wheelers, clad in jeans or salwar-kurtas has virtually disappeared after the KYKL launched its “Operation New Kangleipak” to cleanse the “rotten educational scene” in the state.

Till a few weeks ago, jeans, salwar kurtas and other trendy outfits were the favourites of senior school and college students in Manipur. However, things have changed since August for fear of reprisal from the militant outfit.

Though initially there were murmurs of protests from women’s organisations, these died down soon. The KYKL’s directive to all schools and colleges that girl students wear the phanek came with a chilling warning —the school authorities, student unions and parents would be held responsible for any untoward incident arising out of dishonouring the “appeal”.

During its campaign to cleanse the education system, the outfit had taken a tough stand against the use of unfair means during examinations. It had even “punished” officials of Manipur University for their alleged involvement in a marks-tampering scandal.

While asking students to wear the traditional phanek to class, the KYKL stated that women had an important role in preserving the fast-vanishing Manipuri culture and tradition. Most student unions and school authorities have now decided to make the phanek mandatory.

Parents have, however, welcomed the decision to make the phanek a kind of “uniform,” and thereby compulsory. “If you find a student in uniform on the streets during class hours you can easily know that he or she is bunking classes,” an Imphal resident said.

The new development has turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the handloom industry, as there has been a sudden rise in the demand for traditional wear. The new dress code has benefited women handloom weavers and vendors dealing in phaneks. There has been a substantial increase in the price of handloom dresses, too.

“I have never seen such a great demand for the phanek,” a vendor said. For many years, handloom has been a cottage industry in Manipur, playing an important role in the economy of the state. But the introduction of westernwear had sounded the death knell for the handloom industry.