It’s a Monday afternoon and I watch my son skipping back from school in his what-was-previously-white uniform. With half an ear on my son’s roll-in-the-playground story, I find myself cursing whichever authority that decided that white is the right colour for sports uniforms.
Really, why do schools all around the country insist on pristine whites on Mondays? Is it just based on the follow-the-herd mentality or is there some profound reason that I am missing? I searched the Web, but didn’t get any satisfactory answers.
Let’s look at the facts. Summer, which lasts for many months in most of India, means dust, sand, smoke and baking-hot, muddy playgrounds. About monsoon, well, I don’t need to say a word. And children love playing. So, is the white uniform meant to be some sadistic test of the the laundry man?
Looking down at my son’s brownish-black shoes (“But he pushed me first, mom!”) with black laces (“I stepped into the puddle under the taps as I was washing my hands, mom!”), muddied bottom (“We’d to sit on the ground before PE!”) and dirty shirt (“Sorry, mom!”), I sigh and think, why can’t we have a uniform that makes life simple for all of us?
Why not do away with the button-up white shirt? And try a Navy blue polo T-shirt instead? No more doing up buttons in the morning rush, no more collar-scrubbing, no more struggles with ironing!
Why not replace the white shorts and skirts with full-length Navy blue joggers that come with elastic waistbands? Just pull on, no fuss. No need for help with buttons, zips, belts, what have you. And goodbye to abrasions on the knee.
And surely, it’s time we got rid of the lace-up white canvas shoes. Navy plimsolls are just the thing, instead. Plimsolls with Velcro straps, mind you. The ones the children can do themselves. No trip-me-up, can-you-help-me-tie-the-knot laces. No sir. Just strap on the shoes and run to school.
Unisex uniforms. The same all week. Ones that even four-year-olds can wear on their own. We aren’t inventing the wheel here. Schools in the U.K. have such no-fuss uniforms.
Why Navy blue? Well, you guessed it. My favourite colour. And a smart colour for shoes, I thought. Any dark colour would do. Chocolate brown, bottle green, deep crimson, you name it. But please, let’s bid good riddance to white Mondays. And bring on the Monday blues!
harini.dwarak@gmail.com
