Winter Wear – What Should It Be? [Illustration by Anup Singh]
Mind you, I used to do the same in my early school years! That’s when I envied all those who had trousers and salwar-kameez as their winter uniform. They seemed so much more comfortable and warm.
Many a time, this would lead to a fight when everybody would teasingly say, “Your school guys have no sense at all.” I could not take that insult for my school for anything in the world – so what if our winter uniform was skirt, atleast it was woollen!
I always wished we had trousers as our winter uniform. But there were many girls who liked to be in their short skirts, be it summer or winter! They would be shivering but if you asked them about their uniform, not a word of complaint would come out of them.
It’s true that a school uniform gives an identity to the child and becomes important in their daily lives. I went to a boarding school in class V and my uniform was a salwar-kameez. Some children from other schools called it a ‘behanji’ outfit but we were proud of it and loved it. We knew we carried it very well and wherever we went all eyes would turn to look at us. When it was winter we switched to trousers and still felt the same – proud, comfortable and warm.
Now, all my early childhood regrets are over. Till date, I wear my school tracksuit and feel an inherent part of my school. May be this is the reason why school dresses do not change ever, except for the material of the cloth in summer and winter. This is how children associate themselves with their schools throughout their lives.
However, this is not true for all schools and the question is that if some schools can have fully draping uniforms in winters why can’t the others?
What is the concept behind having shorts and skirts as uniform in winters? I have been looking for an answer to this question since my childhood days and till date, I’ve not found it.
