The Sikh community has survived wars with the Mughals and then the British, the terrible bloodbath of the Partition, and then 1984 and its aftermath.
But according to a recent New York Times article, what is really weakening the defining symbol of Sikh community in India is just… well, laziness:
Like many young Sikhs, he found the turban a bother. It got in the way when he took judo classes. Washing his long hair was time-consuming, as was the morning ritual of winding seven yards of cloth around his head. It was hot and uncomfortable. (link)
And:
The dwindling numbers of turban wearers reflects less a loss of spirituality than encroaching Westernization and the accelerating pace of Indian life, Jaswinder Singh said.
He puts the start of rapid decline at the mid-1990s, as India began liberalizing its economy, more people began traveling abroad and satellite television arrived in the villages of Punjab. Working mothers are too rushed to help their sons master the skill of wrapping a turban, he said, and increasingly they just shrug and let them cut their hair.
“Everyone is working harder to buy themselves bigger cars,†he said. “They don’t have time to teach their children about the Sikh heroes. Boys take film stars as their idols instead.†(link)
Anecdotally, talking to cousins and other relatives, I’ve had the same impression: young Sikhs in India see the turban and beard as 1) hot and 2) unfashionable. It’s also interesting in this passage that busy working mothers are cited as part of the problem. (Quick poll for the Sikhs reading this: who taught you how to tie your pagri? Many Sikh men I know were taught by women in their families.)
Though she does have quotes from people who are unhappy about the phenomenon, I must confess that on an emotional level I do find Amelia Gentleman’s article a shade too cheery considering how much anxiety this trend causes amongst traditional Sikhs. Indeed, as the defining symbol of the Sikh tradition declines, it’s hard not to think of the core of the religion as declining as well.
Oddly, one of the factors named here — India’s hot climate — is less of a factor in places like the U.S., the U.K., and Canada.
Amardeep, I am surprised she didn’t interview some prominent Sikhs in the City, such as Waris Ahluwalia (an actor/fashion designer) or others in NYC, who sport it proudly on screen and off. Or how about an everyday cabbie. Surely, they too, must endure the vanities of tying one. I’d think living here, the sikhs would be inclined to employ the laze factor. And, how many women swooned over Naveen Andrews unraveling his lustrous locks in The English Patient.
Very interesting article, and Mr. Jaswinder Singh sounds like a classic old-school uncle type, harumphing away about Busy Working Mothers and kids these days who can only think of a bigger car (“working mothers” seem to be responsible for most of the world’s problems, per conservatives, at a recent conference in Qatar there was concern about how kids weren’t learning “good” Arabic because Working Mothers left them with the Foreign Help, never mind that the employment rate for women is relatively low). I’m surprised that Punjabi ingenuity hasn’t come up with a ready-to-wear turban that you just plop on over your patka, maybe with a lycra-cap base or something.
I think the problem is that many youngsters see a pagdi-wearing man and one with a beard as fairly removed from the ideal for attractiveness, the cinema-ka-hero, and you do hear women joke about the “smelly hair,” which would wound the vanity of your average teenager, I imagine. Facial hair in general is going out of fashion.
Verrrrrry different culture/religion/situation, but I’m wondering if one can draw an analogy with Orthodox/Conservative/Reformed Jews. There are the Orthodox/Hasidim who cling to certain rules of dress (not mixing fibers), men “not cutting the corners of their hair” (or something like that), married women covering their hair, etc…. which obviously Reformed Jews do not cling to. There have been great schisms in the Jewish community about this, and I’m sure a lot of the Orthodox are not happy about these traditions falling away, and perhaps they don’t even consider their Reformed brethren to be true Jews (this is conjecture, I am not writing this as fact…). However, I’m sure if one talks to Reformed Jews (which I’m sure comprise the majority in the world), they would bristle if the question of their “Jewishness” was brought up based on their adherence to “Talmudic law” regarding dress, hair, etc. Food for thought. This NYT article was definitely interesting.
If a Sikh can only be defined by whether or not he wears a turban then the Sikh population of the UK is only half the official number. It comes down to how Sikhs define what a Sikh is themselves. My non keshdari Sikh friends identify strongly as Sikhs, with Sikh history and culture, go to Gurdwara, revere the Gurus and so on. I guess they don’t feel ready to make the commiment to the outward symbol yet but when they do they will.
I completely agree with the laziness/comfort argument given in the article from my first hand experience in Punjab. In my High school class of 60+ students in rural Punjab there was a 50% split of turbaned and non-turbaned sikh students in early 1990’s. The major reason for students to get their hair cut was either “girls don’t like turbans” or too much hassle.
I was one of the very few students in college who tied a turban and had long beard. Majority were either without turban and beard or tied a turban but trimmed their beards. Major reason for trimming beard or both “hair and beard” in college was again girls and convenience. Among the turbaned majority were doing it for family pressure and given their own free will they would happily do without the turban.
As an aside even though was less religious than some of my shaven-Sikh friends I was always considered more religious and I was expected to act/behave differently than those with their hair cut.
In my village majority of youth in the age group 14-25 have their hair cut. At a wedding my grand mother (who is very religious) commented “Hun ta aa ghonne monney juaak vi sohne lagg de aa” (Nowadays even kids with short hair look cute), that because there are so many of them.
Incidentally as a Sikh I don’t see a problem this. I see turban as a political symbol for freedom/right of self expression rather than a spiritual thing. In present day India turban as a political symbol doesn’t seem to be that important for youth, whereas career and material success are, and having or not having a turban is probably insignificant in that pursuit.
i thought of a jewish analogy as well, but
However, I’m sure if one talks to Reformed Jews (which I’m sure comprise the majority in the world)
no. reform is a plural majority in the USA (just surpassed conservative), the numbers i see are usually in the 35-45% range depending on how you define it (a higher % of reform jews are not members of temples, etc.). but in the rest of the world (including israel) it has minimal presence (i think in england and oz it is called ‘liberal’). in much of the diaspora ‘orthodox’ judaism is normative judaism qua judaism. if you don’t want to practice halakah in all its details then you are simply a secular or cultural jew. but during high holidays secular jews in places like montreal will still tend to attend what we in the USA would call orthodox synagogues since that is the only game in town. in israel i think the english speakers will use terms like ‘religious’ and ‘non-religious,’ where ‘religious’ is synonymous with orthodox.
When I went to Amritsar last year, they had a Mr. Sikh pageant. I remember asking my cousin about it who said that Sikh groups in the city were trying to promote the preservation of the turban and sikh values through the contest. I thought it was an interesting way to help people relate to their turbans as the mainstream and as handsome. There were some serious hotties on the billboard they showed.
The Sikh community has survived wars with the Mughals and then the British, the terrible bloodbath of the Partition, and then 1984 and its aftermath.
interesting point. irving kristol i believe has stated that a ‘little anti-semitism’ is good for the jews. so it doesn’t surprise me that sikhs held to their traditions which marked them out during some periods of duress. rather, i think that there a median level of social tension which maintains the perpetuation of cultural traditions which ‘mark’ a group out. when jews were no longer under moderate and persistant discrimination, like their slow but eventual emancipation in europe in the 19th century, they quickly started defecting from judaism. the reform movement began in germany as a way for jews to cling to their religion while at the same time participating in the gentile culture. in the 1950s jewish intermarriage rates were around 10%, but today they are nearing 50%, and are particularly high in reform congregations.
There are lots of Sikh hotties, definitely. I wonder at what point the idea that turbans and a beard aren’t attractive to women took hold. Certainly a generation or so ago Sikh girls would have grown up with men around them who did have the kesh and beard, and would have expected to marry someone who did. I’m sure urbanisation, films and TV and a greater choice in marriage partners have contributed to this anxiety among Sikh men about their attractiveness with turban.
Amardeep
Can you envisage a revivalist movement that pits keshdari Sikhs against mona Sikhs in Punjab and the diaspora? Something that feeds into Sikh nationalism at the same time?
That’s a common misconception, that Reform jews must be “less religious”. It’s not really true at all. Perhaps they are considered less jewish by strict Orthodox jews, but they consider themselves very religious, and are often more so than some Conservative jews. Reform does not equate to secular. Things are different in Israel, where many Jews are not religious. As one comedian said, “I moved to Israel so I wouldn’t have to be Jewish”.
In Judaism, like many religions, there is a lot of room for self-definition since there is a tradition of theological discussion. The rules of keeping kosher, for example, are not hard and fast. Everyone does it a little differently.
And what about Naveen Andrews’ hair back in the day?
Anyone else notice this gem in the article:
I’ve never heard of anyone using male beauty pageants to help boys feel better about themselves. Don’t mean to be disrespectful, I just thought that was too funny.
I mean, I draw the line at cutting the keshdari right off.
There are well-tied turbans, and poorly-tied ones, and there is a difference. It’s a learned skill, and you have to promote the learning of it. Turbans in the Sikh context are not, of course, a mere sartorial affectation, but good grooming and a well-tied turban are both spiritually and secularly valued in the socio-cultural milieu.
The decline in turban tying is also related to a general decline in male headgear, across cultures.
What % of sikhs in the west[Canada/USA/UK] wear turbans. Is it around 15-20% or is that number too low.
In my hometown where I grow up in western canada, of the 10 sikh families, only 1 of the 10 men had a turban.
My family in California on my mom side, 3 of my 5 uncles have turbans, but they are all over 65. My 10 male cousins and my 2 female cousins husbands are all between the age of 27-42. Not one of them wear’s a turban, and 9 of the 12 were born in India.
Is this same in other sikh families in the west.
Naina, in the Sikh context, this isn’t that surprising. Male vanity in punjab has a lot to do with appearence. Upturning your mustache and having a nicely tied turban, looking “smart” has been seen as a source of pride for, probably generations. Its one of those interesting moments when “what is old is new again”
I think the trend is definately multi-factorial, and has do to with many issues, including urbanization, repression, modernity, immigration, religion, what is going on with social-networks, ect
I would also not discount such simple factors as that most of the kids doing it appear to be in their teens, and at that age, popular culture is (probably too) high a factor in life-decisions. Cutting your hair is probably the type of thing, once you do it, its hard to reverse the decision, and maybe at the age of 16-18, someone does it for different reasons than they might at 30-40. Who knows?
This whole discussion can go quite deep and wide in terms of the various factors at play. “Working mothers” is probably by itself quite far down the list and not a very insightful answer
That may be true, but I really don’t see how a beauty pageant for boys accomplishes that. There’s a difference between judging how well the turban is tied and having boys parade themselves in a pageant where their looks are judged as well.
Most young Sikh guys (in Canada) usually sport low fades these days…
In punjabi culture, for boys considered “gabaroo” (hale and hearty I guess) its both a personal source of pride and a community source of pride to show off one’s “smart” looks, so I would say that a “pageant” like this is just a slight variation on past cultural practices and not really anamalous or out-of-place
Ok. Got it, Sahej. Thanks. Sorry, when I hear the words “beauty pageant” I think of extreme scenarios like these. 😉
yeah, those two phenonena are probably miles apart in terms of source, ramification, and the dynamics at play
It makes complete sense that they’d try a pageant to compete with the very TV-centric dominant definition of good looks, given that one of the reasons young Sikhs are cutting their hair is that it’s considered less attractive or “modern.” Of course, pageants probably won’t cancel out the effects of other cultural and media messages about male attractiveness.
Totally superfical, but still feel the need to say this –
I’ve never dated a Sikh with a turban, but I personally find it hot. I grew up in the United States and am from the South in India, so it’s not like I was used to seeing men in turbans.
I think I find it hot b/c 1) it’s symbolic to me of someone being able to be brave enough not to fit the norm b/c he wants to stay true to his convictions (that is, those Sikhs who I see wear turbans in the U.S. and 2) Maybe many of the Sikh-American men I’ve seen have just been what I would consider handsome.
All this lament of “saving” day-to-day aspects of a culture is eerily similiar to Shashi Tharoor’s views on Saris.
It’s ok if cultures evolve with time, as long as the underlying philosophy is retained through generations. I hasten to add that there also seems to be a certain degree of correlation between giving up one’s culture (dress/language/food etc) and losing underlying values (reverence to elders, work ethic etc). As in everything else, balance is of paramount importance.
M. Nam
I’ll echo that! I was definitely more attracted to sardars for this reason. They just exude a certain confidence and degree of bravery that I don’t see in other men. Of course, I’m referring to those men who actually want to be sardars and are not just keeping their hair for their mommies.
I heart my turban wearing husband =)
But one thing about my original comment is that:
I do realize that just b/c someone wears a turban it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s strong in his convictions. But when you are just going by first impressions, that’s what a turban-wearing Sikh-American seems to me – hence to initial reaction of hotness.
I want to clarify what I said previously, b/c I’m well aware of hypocrisy in ritual w/o meaning. By the way, your a lucky women Sonia!
That Shashi Tharoor is more of an old fart than I had realised. Why should Indian women be expected to maintain sartorial tradition, and what about Indian men? They were the first to switch to Western clothes, weren’t they? I think Indian male clothes look wonderful, and they aren’t as impractical as saris. And saris have actually made a comeback for evening wear in the last several years, and desis are far from giving up their distinctive clothes, witness the rise of the kurti as the equalizing uniform for Westernized and more conservative young women. Let every man who whines about the tragic decline of the sari wear one for a month and deal with the cleaning and ironing and starching with a full-time job and probably a second shift doing every damn thing in the home too, in addition to the comfort factor. Bah.
I guess I can understand a bit of Tharoor’s nostalgia — there is something about the homogeneity of “modern culture” that is sort of bland in its universality — but he definitely comes across as old fart in that piece.
I am not a worshipper of Ataturk, but funny that Tharoor talks of how Kemal “banned his menfolk’s traditional fez as a symbol of backwardness” without mentioning that he also banned the covering of women (a ban which more or less exists to this day), and women in Turkey (on the whole… I feel the flames coming on…) are in many ways more liberated than in a lot of Muslim countries. I wonder if Tharoor would be the type who would lament the demise of purdah garments…
Let us be not so alarmed about this current trend.
Everything is taking its natural course. What’s so shocking?
Most of the lives in Punjab are divided by casteism. Honor killings
(or at least the threat thereof) and female infanticide are commonplace.
Are the youth really to blame? How are the youth to believe that Sikhi
believes in equality when the parents do not see God in everyone?
Faith cannot endure with hypocrisy.
Endeavors like the “Mr. Singh contest” and the emphasis of tying a turban properly
and looking fine in one has its limited use, but the overwhelming need is, in fact,
to teach and live truthfully.
The destiny of Sikhi lies in Sikh character.
Aha! The working mother! She’s the one to blame! First she won’t wear saris and now she won’t help her kids wear turbans.
I sympathize with some of the sentiment of “losing” tradition, but why is it always the working mother who is to blame?
the problem with turkey and iran under the shah was that they displayed the type of behavior they were trying to correct – intolerance- and their secularism became extreme as well in their persecution and discrimination against women who chose to wear conservative islamic wear. this only breeds more resentment and intolerance.
Kusala, Ataturk didn’t quite manage to ban the hijab, and there’s a huge “covered fashions” business in Turkey these days (not to mention an Islamist movement that’s extremely similar to the BJP in its mainstreaming). Only government employees are barred from covering their heads.
Actually, it used to be quite common for South Indian men to wear turbans, and for that matter also elsewhere in Northern, Eastern or Western India – it has declined in the cities, but is still fairly common in rural areas. Most early Indian male immigrants to North America – Sikhs and Hindus especially, also wore turbans. In fact, Sabu, the Kal Penn of the 1930s, also wore it often, on and off-screen!
Here are 3 ‘South Indian’ men – a philosopher-statesman, Vice-President and President (1952-67), a Nobel Laureate and a celebrated centenarian technocrat. The pictures are from the 1960s, but this is what contemporary American Presidents looked like back then, so men don’t wear hats any more over here, and Indian men don’t wear turbans so much any more. Turban-wearing has faded less-slowly among Sikhs because of the religio-cultural injunctions, but it still needs all the encouragement it can get.
BTW, I’m totally with you on the ‘wearing turbans shows strength of conviction’ bit!
Hainh..??
When we were school and college, we had quite a few sardar kids, and the general consensus was that if most of them cut their hair and beard, it will be a very very tough for others to keep their girls away from them :).
When we were in school and then college..
If Sanjaya wears a turban next week, problem solved.
In response to Amardeep’s original question: I’m a Singaporean Sikh currently in the US for grad school. On my mum’s side, we’ve been in Malaysia/Singapore for 4 generations, and my uncles on both sides and my dad all had turbans. We grew up with long hair, and began tying a turban once we were entered secondary school at 13 (which is grade 7 in the US, I think). Since my dad held two jobs, my mum was the one who taught us how to tie the turban. However, my dad did use to show us and practice with us on some Sundays. Since then, I have learnt various styles from friends and cousins, and have figured out how to tie a few different styles. However, I am the only one from both sides of the family who still wears a turban. All of my other male cousins in India and Malaysia, as well as my brother, have cut off their long hair. In South-East Asia, I think that about 20% of male Sikhs wear turbans. One interesting thing you might see is for some adults who have cut off their hair to still keep a trimmed beard and tie a turban. This has to do with the perceived positive image that a turban brings- a perception which, from the comments above, is widely shared.
I guess this trend is spreading everywhere. The other day in NYC I saw a man toting a turban and suddenly realized I actually hadnt seen one in Manhattan for at least 2 years now!
Was that pure chance? Or pure choice on Sikh men’s part?
I think the trend to cut ones hair among Sikhs differs greatly whether you are on the West Coast or the East Coast of the US. My experience with both coasts has led me to believe that Sikhs on the West Coast are more “Punjabi” and Sikhs on the East Coast are more “Sikh”. I met many more young Keshdhari Sikhs on the East Coast than I have on the West.
EcHO that!
‘HaiR’ aS plitical sssteatment. GroW te HHaiiiiR and pROotest the drAFt.
“That Shashi Tharoor is more of an old fart than I had realised. Why should Indian women be expected to maintain sartorial tradition, and what about Indian men? They were the first to switch to Western clothes, weren’t they? I think Indian male clothes look wonderful, and they aren’t as impractical as saris. And saris have actually made a comeback for evening wear in the last several years, and desis are far from giving up their distinctive clothes, witness the rise of the kurti as the equalizing uniform for Westernized and more conservative young women. Let every man who whines about the tragic decline of the sari wear one for a month and deal with the cleaning and ironing and starching with a full-time job and probably a second shift doing every damn thing in the home too, in addition to the comfort factor. Bah.”
I agree, the sari is definitely not going the way of the kimono. Perhaps its becoming somewhat of an ethnic costume, but its still the preferred dress of choice for formal desi events or religious festivals(for those that come from traditional sari wearing regions of the subcontinent). When madrasi brides and grooms start wearing white wedding gowns and tuxes during their muhurthams, I’ll concede that maybe there is a problem.
another question: What makes you think the article had a cheery tone to it? I didn’t come away with that at all.
another question: What makes you think the article had a cheery tone to it? I didn’t come away with that at all.
Amardeep, the author of the post, a keshadhari sikh is being sarcastic.
“Though she does have quotes from people who are unhappy about the phenomenon, I must confess that on an emotional level I do find Amelia Gentleman’s article a shade too cheery considering how much anxiety this trend causes amongst traditional Sikhs. Indeed, as the defining symbol of the Sikh tradition declines, it’s hard not to think of the core of the religion as declining as well.”
He’s being sarcastic here? I was alluding to this statement, not the title of the post.
Sorry I’ve been out of the discussion most of the day — teaching classes, meeting students… etc.
But actually I wasn’t being sarcastic with the word “cheery.” It might not be quite the right word, but I guess I felt the article had a bit of a neutral, “hey, check out this interesting trend” angle to it that runs up against the strong emotional response many people within the community have about this. To be fair, she does give a fair amount of air time to some folks in Punjab who are troubled by it.
The other thing I wanted to say is this — strangely, I kind of agree with MoorNam, when he said this:
It’s ok if cultures evolve with time, as long as the underlying philosophy is retained through generations. I hasten to add that there also seems to be a certain degree of correlation between giving up one’s culture (dress/language/food etc) and losing underlying values (reverence to elders, work ethic etc). As in everything else, balance is of paramount importance.
I don’t know about cheery, but the author definitely does make light of the situation. Just the title of the article gets to me: “Young Sikh Men Get Haircuts, Annoying Their Elders”
Annoying their elders? Seriously? This issue has much larger ramifications than making some old people uncomfortable.
It could be that some Sikh men are opting not to wear turbans because of the profiliing they receive at airports and fear of racial attacks after 9/11.
In the years since 9/11, granted I don’t travel too much, in three separate instances I have seen Sikh men “randomly” stopped at the security checkpoint and all of their belongings rifled through.
BadIndianGirl, yes, but this is actually in India, where there isn’t that confusion.
And actually, even in the U.S. most Sikhs I know don’t mind the whole airport thing that much, especially since they’ve done away with the last minute “random” gate searches for the most part. The guys who have it much harder are the ones in the service industries — running convenience stores, gas stations, driving taxis. It’s very difficult to deal with the kind of hostility those guys encounter on a daily basis.
Amardeep. Right, this was in India. Guess I should pay more attention and focus on work or reading SM, not both 😉