‘Traditional Attire with Kachari touch’ to replace gowns and robes in Assam University’s Convocation in Jan; Form-fill-up begins on Dec 15

The 20th Convocation of Assam University will be held in the last week of January 2023. Registration for the convocation will start on December 15 and is scheduled to continue up to December 22. The registration fees for the students attending the convocation have also been increased by the university and this will be the first convocation where academic regalia won’t mean gowns and robes but the traditional Kachari attire. The central varsity is switching toward traditional attire with a touch of the Dimasa Kachari history of Barak Valley.

In an exclusive conversation with Barak Bulletin, the President of the Assam University Student Union Shubhamoy Chanda informed that the registration for the convocation will start tentatively from December 15 and will continue up to December 22 this year, but the dates might also be extended for 3 more days if the demand arises. He also mentioned that this year the registration fees has been increased by 500 rupees compared to the previous year, which was 2000 rupees.

“The fees have been increased as this will be the first time that we will have a traditional outfit for the graduates and scholars attending the convocation. There will be no western gowns this year which were provided by the university. Rather, the university has decided to introduce a waistcoat and a traditional scarf – Uttoriyo, which are being designed by the Head of the Visual Arts Department,” informed the president of the Students’ Union.

He added, “The waistcoat will have a design based on the Dimasa Kachari architecture style as seen in the ruins of Khaspur and the Uttoriyo, which will be made of khadi will also have a similar design along with the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav logo.”

Speaking about the convocation further, the Union President said, “The university has invited the President and the Education Minister as the guest as of now but the declaration for guests can not be mentioned right now. The listing for honorary doctorates is also going on. This will be the first convocation in traditional attire. The target is to wrap up the convocation in one day, but if the accommodation cannot be done in one day, this will be a two-day programme. As of now, the tentative date is the last week of January”.