Head to college in style

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For young teens, after a couple of years of brain-numbing exam preparations and the ‘big’ exams, finally escaping the eagle-eyed scrutiny of school teachers and child-safe rules is made sweeter by the shedding of that old school straightjacket — the uniform! Chafing at the bit to finally ‘be themselves,’ these youngsters must now adopt a style statement and visit the shops (and the hairdressers) before they start college, whether they like shopping or not.
It’s all gleeful squeals from Pranika Sharma, 15, who just finished grade 10 at Jamnabai Narsee School, Mumbai, “In school there wasn’t any scope to step out of line by wearing cool clothes. I love shopping and can’t wait to go on a shop-till-I-drop spree. I have a budget of Rs 10,000 and will be restocking my entire wardrobe with classy clothes to be worn in and outside college. Going to shop with friends is a fun time out and this time I’ve been given absolute liberty!”
D. Shubhada, also 15 and ecstatic about attending college, chimes in with identical tones, “Like all girls, I love shopping and couldn’t wait to go down that road. My mom tagged along with me, but still, I love having new clothes and not having to wear the same boring uniform everyday. It is liberating!”
But Mars and Venus differ even in their teens: while the girls believe that a wardrobe makeover marks an entry into adulthood, most guys aren’t too happy. “Who wants to go shopping with their folks? My idea of shopping means picking up the first five shirts from the counter and buying some rugged jeans. I preferred my school uniform, which was incredibly cool. Uniforms also lent an air of equality on the campus. Now we’ll have to unnecessarily spend on clothes to be in sync with the times,” grouches 16-year-old Deep Singh from DPS.
And some sanguine teens are wondering what the fuss is all about, “My old school was great, where we didn’t have a uniform in the first place and were free to wear whatever we wanted to. Kids would wear WWE t-shirts and the teachers wouldn’t mind. All they’d say was that we need to grow up. It is not going up an issue at all,” shrugs Abhay Kumar, 17, of Little Flower High School.