This one’s for all my keshdhari friends:
[Iranian President Mohammad] Khatami’s friends say he wraps his natty turban by himself, tying one end of a 12-foot-long cloth to a door knob… “It is important in Islam to be elegant,” he said. “In fact, being chic is a religious duty and there are many sayings from Prophet Muhammad, who encouraged his followers to look good and smell fresh.” [NYT]
Are y’all following the edict of the prophet, PBUH, in the interests of ecumenical harmony? Be chic, look good and smell fresh — it’s Muslim Eye for the Sikh Guy. I wonder whether there’s anything in the Sikh canon about waxing the muchha and sharply creasing the pug 😉
“I wonder whether thereÂ’s anything in the Sikh canon about waxing the muchha and sharply creasing the pug ;)”
-you dont say,there is an entire lexicon in punjabi devoted to dressing and tieing the turban sharp……there are songs where a ‘sharp turban’ and ‘pointed muchha’ is glorified as opposed to the loose khushwant singh style……
and yeah,many non-shaven sikhs would qualify as a walking talking definition of metrosexuality if you quantify the time they spend at parlors and at home grooming their beard……me however,being the anti-establsihment freak i fancied myself as when young,took the easy way out……
it actually would make a pretty interesting study how a religion whose underlying philosophy was to shun meaningless symbolism and be ‘karam’ oriented got so wrapped up in identifying itself with mere outwardly appearance…….there is nothing in sikh scriptures or practice of sikhism by the gurus which says you have to wear your hair unshorn and tie a turban……
Everything said,its refreshing to find people discussing such issues freely here without being either patronizing or more commonly(especially if it involves non-sikh North Indian nee Punjabi populace),scornful/taunting.
A shameless plug for my gyal’s bwoy in Bombaby, uploaded today — his 2-min mini-doc “the truth about turbans.”
My personal fave turban dudes I’ve ever seen were the guys running the “Scottish Heritage” tourist shop in Edinburgh. But heck, up there they’ve got their own tartan. Also seen in the city was a teen wearing a Burberry salwar kameez.
two songs I love are “tadi phagh walia” and I forget the other one, but its about a pugh thats multi-colored
both great songs
noFixedadderess, your alias is an apt description of your convictions.
Guru Gobind Singh asked his follows to present themselves with a turban and unshorn hair during the Baisakhi celebrations in 1699, in a hukam he sent out at that time.
While you imply that the turban and beard are “mere outward appearance”, consider the role that the Sikh physical distinctiveness played in also making sure that the teachings of Guru Nanak were also preserved to this day, against all odds.
step your turban game up
A guy I went to college with was born in east Africa and moved to Canada fairly young. His style of turban was, not surprisingly, based on what his father had taught him…and “out of fashion”, since it dated back to when his grandparents (?) left India. Apparently, he was teasedabout it (to the point of physical figths) fairly frequently in high school with “more modern turban”-types in Vancouver. He still kicks it 1940s style – what a rebel 🙂
maisnon,
Did your friend’s turban look anything like this one?
This is a popular turban style in the UK today, due to the influx of Sikh refugees from East Africa during the 60s/70s. Since most of the East African Sikhs are Ramgarhia, I wonder if your friend being teased had anything to do w/ being a minority in a sea of Jatts.
Hmm, no it didn’t really look like that. It was more compact
The importance of the Treh Mudra (3 dinstinctive marks of a Sikhs – namley the Kesh, Kirpan and Kach) or 5 Kakkars as they become to be known over the past 200 years – and the importance of the Kesh and Dastaar in both temporal and spiritual terms has been adequately addressed by the formidable (late) Sardar Kapur Singh and can be found in his article in the Sikh Coalition archives.
The legacy of the Punjabi Sikhs who went to South America during the late 1950s and 60s is unknown precisely because they chose to shed these marks of their faith and Guru – most of you reading probably didn’t even know about this migration pattern, since within less than a decade this community of largely Punjabi (Jat) Sikhs had amalgated with the Catholic inhabitants of the region.
Contrast this with those described “metrosexual” males from say East Africa, who maintained these traditions with no objection and moved with no “myth of return” to the UK, Canada and elsewhere establishing themselves as middle class citizens in the administration with no compromise of these symbols – not only have they been successful in maintaing their religious lifestyle, but also economically in their contribution to society around them.
Perhaps those who think the ‘easy way out’ is justified through ill-thought out conclusions and their personal lack of sufficient knowledge and understanding need to read up a little more…
Hi, Interesting post… I actually have had my hair cut since school (which was a long long time ago) and only recently have started growing them and wearing a turban. Whatever else anyone might say its not easy to tie one right and it definitely sets you apart with both positive and negative consequences.
And I completely agree with the fact the that emphasis in sikh religion / thought is more on shunning meaningless symbols and focusing on correct actions. But when you come to a point where the symbols actually have greater meaning you want to abide by then Anybody with any thoughts? Cheers nomand
1 · noFixedadderess said
dude i know like 20 odd different quotes and references on the turban and the unshorn hair. let me know and i will happily post them