Mallika Dureja
President Droupadi Murmu stated on Saturday at the 99th convocation ceremony of the Delhi University that the increasing number of women receiving more academic awards depicts a developed India, as more than half of the over 158,000 students receiving their degrees were women.
The President, who was the principal guest at the event, praised the university for reflecting the richness and diversity of India and for contributing to excellence in every field in India and abroad through its distinguished alumni.
The ceremony was also attended by Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan and DU vice-chancellor Yogesh Singh. Murmu stated at the ceremony, “It is possible to say that Delhi University represents India in all its richness and multiplicity. A portion of Delhi University can also be found in every area of distinction in India and abroad. The inventory of distinguished university alums is long and formidable.”
She added that it is a source of pride for the University of Denver that 52% of the undergraduate students enrolled for the academic year 2022-23 are female. “I am also pleased to see that this year more women than males received awards at the ceremony. This modification portrays India as a developed nation.”
On Saturday, 54.7% of the 157,290 students who graduated from undergraduate and graduate programmes were female, while 45.3% were male. At the ceremony, medals were awarded to 170 students, including 51 males and 119 women.
The university also made history by conferring 910 PhD degrees this year, the most ever in its 99-year history. 512 female candidates were awarded doctorates on Saturday, compared to 398 males. Last year, approximately 173,443 students were awarded digital degrees by DU. In addition, 802 candidates were awarded PhDs, which was the highest number until 2022.
This is the greatest number in the history of both our university and India. This time around, 910 pupils received PhD degrees; 512 of them are female and 398 are male. “It’s fortunate that our daughters are performing so well,” VC Singh said.
This year’s introduction of new convocation ceremony attire in the form of angavastras (stoles) was another highlight of the ceremony.
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In lieu of robes and crowns, students wore yellow, turquoise, and red stoles that corresponded to their degrees. Undergraduate students wore a yellow angavastra, postgraduate students wore turquoise stoles, and PhD candidates donned red stoles. For the ceremony, Jwalanat Kumar, who received a PhD from the Department of Sanskrit, donned a red stole over a traditional dhoti kurta. 30 year old Kumar was ecstatic that the event promoted traditional Indian apparel. “We are reconnecting with our Native American ancestry. “The gown is a colonial custom, so I’m glad the university has decided to replace it,” said Kumar.
Although many students felt that the gown should have been retained because it is universally associated with commencement convocation ceremony , they acknowledged that the new attire was more colourful.
“Acclimating to this new dress code is pleasant, but the gown and headdress have their own allure. “Wearing the cap and gown provides one a sense of accomplishment,” said Tejal Dua, who earned a bachelor’s degree. Hue, a 32-year-old Vietnamese native, and her companion Nguyen Thi, also from Vietnam, stood out in their grey-colored Buddhist robes among the sea of attendees. The PhD candidates concurred that the gown would have been a superior choice. Hue, who prefers to go by her first name and holds a PhD in Buddhist Studies from DU, said, “I’ve always wanted to wear a gown to my convocation instead of my traditional garment because I adore it.” Nguen stated, “This Indian attire is also lovely, but the gown would have been even better.”
Nagalandese Eche Wangnyu also lamented the absence of the garment. Wangnyu donned a red stole on top of her traditional Konyak attire from Nagaland. She was also unhappy with the colour selection. “I favour the gown more than the stole. Since the stole can be costly, it would be preferable if the university allowed students to rent the dress in the future,” said Wangnyu, who earned a PhD in anthropology.
The President stated that the primary goal of education is to become a better person. Being successful in life is a positive trait, but being decent is even better.
