Tezpur: 'Kokyet', the quintessential turban for Manipur's Meitei people, which is seen as a symbol of pride and has a high cultural symbolism, will find its place of pride in the Parliament. The move is aimed at promoting the cultural ethos of divergent India with all its myriad hues of socio-cultural matrix.
“Parliament House employees will don new uniforms during the special session starting from September 18”, a notification by the government said. The Marshals of both houses of the Parliament—the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha— will wear 'Kokyet'.
The Bandhgala suit of the secretariat staff, seen as a symbol of the colonial past, will be replaced by a shirt with a lotus flower design. They will also be wearing khaki-coloured loose pants and a Nehru jacket. Manipuri turban and Kannada turban will be made part of the uniform of the marshals in both the Houses of Parliament.
Security personnel at the Parliament building, instead of safari suits, will now wear camouflage pattern clothes similar to those worn by military personnel. According to the notification, women officers on duty will wear bright-coloured sarees. They can also with jackets during the winter.
The parliament session is set to begin on September 18 in the old building. The parliament proceedings are expected to shift to the new building on September 19 on Ganesh Chaturthi, which is considered auspicious for making new beginnings. As per sources, chamber attendants, officers, security personnel, drivers and marshals all will don new uniforms. Khaki trousers, cream-coloured jackets, cream shirts with pink lotus motifs printed on them, bright coloured sarees with jackets for women and turbans for marshals figure in the new dress code.
