Srinagar: The intervention of a Union minister meant that the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Jammu took a quick U-turn on its decision to encourage the traditional Kashmiri attire of pheran and pakol as the dress code for its maiden convocation, held on Saturday.The intervention of the minister of state in the Prime Minister’s Office, Jitendra Singh – who is also the Lok Sabha member from Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur parliamentary segment – meant that the institute was forced to revert back to the British-inspired convocation gown.In a press conference held on Thursday, IIT Jammu authorities announced that students would be encouraged to wear a traditional attire for the convocation. Sharad Kumar Saraf, who is on the board of governors of IIT Jammu, announced that the traditional convocation robes have been replaced by pherans and pakols (regional headgear) for everyone who will be part of the ceremony.Saraf, who was flanked by IIT Jammu director Manoj Singh Gaur and dean (academics) Ashok K Sarkar, announced that the theme of the convocation is “an ode to Jammu and Kashmir”. He said, “With this new theme, we would also be promoting the traditional culture of the UT.”But on Friday evening, Jitendra Singh broke the news of the U-turn made by IIT Jammu on the dress code, citing “sensitives”.Important!Sensitivities with regard to dress proposed for #IIT #Jammu #Convocation ceremony were conveyed to higher authorities.I’ve just now received a call from Director IITJammu,Prof Gaur clarifying that it will only be conventional Convocation Gown,No other attire & No cap.— Dr Jitendra Singh (@DrJitendraSingh) January 8, 2021He said he had received a call from professor Gaur, the IIT Jammu director, “clarifying” that only the conventional convocation gown will be used as the dress code.Say hello to IIT Jammu’s first batch of engineers! pic.twitter.com/pnU8lbjzT1— IIT Jammu (@IITJammu) January 9, 2021There was no explanation from the minister or IIT authorities over the quick U-turn on the dress code. However, Jammu-based Daily Excelsior reported that some people expressed “surprise and anguish” over the institute’s failure to adopt a Dogra theme for the event, despite its location in Jammu.Interestingly, the conventional gown worn by students and faculty during convocations in varsities in India is British-inspired and the BJP-led Central government had in 2018 appealed to universities across the country to replace it with “traditional Indian clothes” as a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi.“I would like to urge all universities across the country that rather than going for British-inspired clothes for their convocation they should go for traditional Indian clothes. Universities can ask their students to come up with design options or can also refer to some designs posted on HRD Ministry’s website,” then minister for human resources development Prakash Javedkar had said.In 2017, Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat refused to wear a conventional gown during 15th convocation of University of Petroleum at Dehradun, saying it is a relic of the colonial era.“The country should take pride in its ancestors, its ancient wisdom and culture and should not give up its roots,” he said.Pheran and pakoolPheran is a long, loose garment worn with buttons or zip around the neck-opening. It is worn by both Muslims and Hindus in Kashmir and some parts of Jammu.Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi was dressed in a pheran just a fortnight ago, while launching a scheme to extend health insurance benefits to all residents of J&K.Ensuring top quality healthcare for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. https://t.co/RdKKRo33lh— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 26, 2020News reports quoting sources close to the prime minister said that he had received the pheran as a gift last winter from a farm labourer based in Jammu and Kashmir.In an article published in Srinagar-based newspaper Greater Kashmir, professor Upendra Kaul wrote that “one thing is agreed upon by all historians that Pheran has been our outfit at least since the 15th century”.“There are many myths around the origin of Kashmiri pheran. While some believe it was Mughal emperor Akbar who introduced the long garment in the Kashmir Valley, others believe it came from the Persian travellers who invented the garment to protect themselves from the freezing cold of Kashmir during winters,” he writes.He further states that Mughal emperor Akbar after capturing Kashmir ensured that Kashmiris remain tied to their Pherans and remained a “lazy community”.He adds:“In his book ‘The Valley of Kashmir’, Sir Walter Lawrence, the Settlement Commissioner for Jammu and Kashmir during 1889-94 also confirms and blames Akbar for promoting this garment. Moghuls were followed by Afghans with Ahmad Shah Abdali invading Kashmir in 1753 and his progeny ruling Kashmir till 1819. The Afghans forced the men and women to wear the same dress, the Pheran, as their attire at all times. The Kashmiris never liked both Moghuls and Afghans but became used to and finally fond of the Pheran. It went through the Sikh and Dogra regimen without any further interference.”Pakol is a soft round-topped men’s hat, typically of wool.The cap’s origin is also debated upon, with one theory suggesting that it possibly originated in southeastern Europe. However, the consensus among historians and ethnographers is that it originated from the Chitral district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, which is part of present-day Pakistan.Repeated attempts to contact authorities of IIT Jammu for a comment on the dress code controversy proved futile. The Wire will update the story as and when their response is received. The convention took place at 11 am on Saturday.Umer Maqbool is a Kashmir-based independent journalist and can be mailed at maqbool.umer@gmail.com.