Santiniketan: The Visva-Bharati authorities have for the first time decided to enforce the traditional dress code for participants in the morning procession on Basanta Utsav (Spring festival) that falls on March 1.

Officials of the university at Santiniketan said there were many who obtained special passes for the procession but turned up in jeans and kurta of various colours.

"The 87-year-old tradition from the time of Rabindranath Tagore is that women wear yellow or saffron saris and men white dhotis and panjabi. But in the past few years, many were seen in the procession in casual dresses like jeans and kurta of other colours. We believe it causes a visual pollution and breaks the tradition. So, we have fixed a dress code for the first time this year," a varsity official said.

He said men could wear white pajamas or trousers with white panjabi or kurta, while the women could be in yellow or orange saris.

Sabujkali Sen, the officiating vice chancellor of Visva-Bharati, said: "At a meeting to discuss this year's Basanta Utsav programmes, we for the first time fixed a dress code for the participants in the procession. No one wearing other dresses will be allowed to attend the morning procession."