In order to give a boost to the traditional attires of Mizoram, the state government has issued a circular asking the government employees to come to their respective offices by wearing traditional attire at least once in a week.
According to reports, the Mizo National Front government of Mizoram led by chief minister Zoramthanga has asked the state government employees to come to office by wearing Mizoram’s traditional dress voluntarily.
The circular, approved by chief minister Zoramthanga, has been issued on Monday by P. Biaktlunga, commissioner and secretary, general administration department of Mizoram government.
It may be mentioned two years back, the Assam government led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was also mulling to formulate a proposal for the state government employees to wear traditional Assamese dress – ‘dhoti-kurta’ for men and ‘mekhela-chador’ for women – while coming to office on first and third Saturdays voluntarily.
The idea was germinated by then Assam chief secretary V.K. Pipersenia who himself wore traditional finery during the celebrations of the Civil Services Day.
However, the move failed to get a final shape in Assam.
While many Assam government employees were willing to come to their office by wearing traditional attire (dhuti-kurta for men and mekhela-chador for women), the Sadou Asom Karmachari Parishad, which represents the government employees of Assam, was not willing to accept the proposal as it would create differences among the employees of diverse communities and tribes.
The circular issued by the commissioner and secretary to Mizoram’s general administration department, Biaktlunga, read: “The conservation and protection of cultures, traditions and customs of a society depend much on how they are embraced and nurtured in the contemporary society.”
The circular said the state government wants to encourage all its employees including those in boards, agencies, bodies and public sector undertakings to wear Mizo traditional, cultural and ethnic dress at their respective places of work preferably on every Wednesday of the week.
It has been reported that two days after the issuance of the circular, on Wednesday, a large number of government employees in Mizoram came to their offices by wearing tradition attire.