By TCN Staff Reporter,
Bangalore: Religious and cultural hypocrisy seems to be running all-time high in the educational institutes in Karnataka’s Dakshinna Kannada district. This was the same district which was in the news a few weeks ago for banning Hijab in a first grade college. Even as the outcry on Hijab ban was continuing, the district educational institutes have given new controversial guidelines, this time asking students to manifest Hindu cultural identities.
Vivekananda Vidyavardaka Sangha (VVS), a governing body of 41 educational institutes with around 15,200 students, spread over Puttur, Sullia, Belthangady and Bantwal taluks has issued guidelines asking its students to enter the campus with ‘tilak,’ ‘bindis’ and bangles. The instruction is applicable even on the staff of the institutes.
Notices have issued by the governing body to 41 educational institutes to see that regulations are implemented. The guidelines also made uniform compulsory to ban Hijab, head scarf or any other religious ostentation dressing.
VVS has asked males to sport tilak and females to wear bangles and put bindis on their forehead, and compulsory uniform to ban Hijab. VVS has also clarified that former part of the guideline is not compulsory and no action will be taken on non-adherence, but the later part of the guidelines i.e. the uniform code is compulsory and student will not be allowed in educational institutes without proper uniform.
Vivekananda Vidyavardaka Sangha Secretary E. Shivaprasad told media that Hijab is banned to maintain ‘discipline’ in the educational institutes. He said, “We have to maintain a discipline in uniform that is why hijab and burqa are not allowed.” Regarding the guidelines propagating a particular culture, he said, “For thousands of years, bindi, ear rings, bangles, toe rings, mangalsutra have been a part of Indian culture. Tilak, bindi and bangles are not confined to a particular religion. We have highlighted Hindu culture as it is a model religion and we have to preserve it.”
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