Women teachers in Kerala needn’t wear a sari after winning minister’s backing
- Principals and teachers in the Indian state have been at loggerheads over what constitutes acceptable work attire, with many school heads giving their teachers an ultimatum: the sari or the job
- Saris were mandatory until 2013 and the tradition has been so rigidly enforced that many principals have stuck to the dress code despite its abolition
The state’s higher education minister, R. Bindu, has issued a notice to schools informing them that women teachers can wear whatever they feel comfortable in, whether it is jeans or leggings or more traditional Indian outfits.
The minister’s intervention comes amid mounting friction between principals and teachers in the state over what constitutes acceptable work attire.
While that dress code was abolished in 2013, many principals had continued to insist on adherence to it. Some went so far as to say it was either the sari or the job, much to the annoyance of teachers who complained the long strips of cloth could be cumbersome to wear and time-consuming to iron.
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“I have nothing against the sari, I like wearing it, but there are days when I am short of time and it is a hassle to iron such a big garment and it takes time to tie it too,” said Nina Sivankutty, a teacher in Kochi.
Complaints by teachers had begun to mount against this informal but strict imposition, prompting the minister to act.
“This practice of imposing saris on our teachers is not conducive to Kerala’s progressive attitude. Dressing style is a personal matter and no one has the right to interfere with that,” Bindu said.
Ironically, while female teachers continue to grapple with an unofficial gender-specific dress code, the state is currently considering a gender-neutral uniform for all school children.
The clothes a woman wears in Kerala – and for that matter all over India – are laden with significance and subject to cultural control. A woman wearing a sari is deemed to be more traditional and socially obedient than a woman wearing Western clothing. Among right-wing Hindus, jeans have been a symbol of depravity for decades.
In fact, the sari tradition has been so rigidly enforced in Kerala society that it is only in the past two decades that women have started to wear other Indian outfits, such as long tunics and churidar leggings, because even these were deemed somewhat outre. Some temples continue to insist that women must wear a sari if they are to enter.
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Critics accuse conservatives of picking and choosing from tradition to suit their ideological proclivities. In ancient times, for example, Indian women used to wear saris without a blouse. Their bare breasts were covered by the sari but they were effectively naked underneath.
In Kerala and other parts of south India, even as recently as the colonial era, some women did not cover the upper part of their body at all.
