Skip to main content

Turban or Not, That is the Question for Sikhs


       In her article, “Haircuts of or Turbans?”; published in The New York Times on September 3, 2007,Amelia Gentleman describes why Sikhs cut their hair in an American style.  "Sikhism was founded at the end of the 15th century in northern India. It is based on a belief in one God and the rejection of the Hindu caste system, which divided Indian society into hereditary classes."

       Many young Sikhs are forgoing turbans and cutting their long hair-leaving spiritual leaders dismayed.  When he was 14, Jugraj Singh abandoned his turban and had a lifetime growth of hair cut off. Like many young Sikhs in India, Sigh found his turban too conspicuous emblem of the Sikh faith. There are many reasons why they cut their hair.  "For Jugraj it got in the way when he took judo classes.  And washing his long hair was time-consuming, as was the morning ritual of unwinding seven yards of cloth around his head." In the end, it is was a question of fashion says Singh. Now an 18 years-old business student he said he felt smarter without it.

       Turban promoters are hoping to reverse this trend by offering free turban-tying classes for boys in Amritsar.  This is one of a series of Sikh revival programs.  Sikh leaders have started holding pageants to promote the turban as fashion item.

       A recent campaign promoting the turban for Sikhs referred to the glory of wearing a turban to self identify as a Sikh. "Not according to Namrata Saluja, manager of the color Lounge salon in the central Amritsa, every week he turns a way young Sikh men who want their long hair cut off.

Huge turban
       Every country, every culture, and every people have nationalist feelings. As the time passes cultural norms always change. It seems that is very hard to keep tradition.  Youth almost always want to change existing culture and end some of the traditional norms.  I believe young people want to create their own culture that they have pride in. And change happens many ways. With Sikhs and their hair it is more about changing older traditions to become new to promote the new century as fashion item for the new century.

       The question is how can Sikh religious leaders change without going against their main beliefs. I read some news said about 100 years ago in American women were required to were hats in church.  Now they are not required.  So maybe Sikh leaders need to consider how important the turban is in their main beliefs.  Perhaps someone can design special hats - turbans with fake hair inside, that would be useful by men for their ceremonies or religious holidays.  And there are probably other ideas for incorporating the turban as an option versus required. I know I am really enjoy their culture, it is amazing to me. 


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Native American Boarding School: DESTROYING a Culture

Bickford-Duane, Pauline , in his article “ DESTROYING a Culture ” published in the magazine Cobblestone on Jan 2015, discusses about how US Government took land and broke treaties with Native Americans.  Then they tried to make them like white people, But later US Government learned that was a bad idea.  So, they gave Native Americans back a lot of rights such as the ability to governed themselves, attend their own schools, and learn their language. Photographs from the Carlisle Indian School show a group of Sioux boys shortly after their arrival at the school (ABOVE) and a group of “assimilated” Sioux students (OPPOSITE). The author first wrote a short history of how the United States government tried to take over Native American culture. She said the government had tried for almost 100 years and over 400 agreements to find a “solution” to the Native American “problem”. But most of them were not successful. then in the late 1800s, Senator Dawes prop...
1 comment
Read more

Arranged marriages: A prisoner in the house

          Shackle, Samira, in his article “ A Prisoner in the House ” published in the magazine New Internationalist on November 2013, discuss about two Indian women, Jasminder and Mandeep and why they became slaves in a dark life in Britain because of arranged marriages. how badly their foreign spouses and family treated them and who help them. No way out: every year, some 500 South Asian women are forced into domestic slavery in Britain following an arranged marriage.           First the author talked about 19 years old India girl Jasminder’s family background and her family think their daughter will have better life in Britain. Sometimes families must sell many home assets for the dowry.   So, the daughters feel they must go since their family has sacrificed so much.   But when they arrive in their new country, all is not like they think. All of the family people trea...
Post a Comment
Read more

Genocide: "Genocide" Taboo Why We're Afraid of the G-Word

          Alice Hu, in her article “ 'Genocide' Taboo Why We're Afraid of the G-Word ” published in the magazine Harvard International Review on Summer 2016, discusses the United Nations definition and origin of the word “genocide” and how it is different than simply mass violence. And she also hope the International law helps protect people from genocide.           The author first talk about the term genocide is based on Greek prefix for “race” and the Latin suffix for “killing”.   It was first used by Raphael Lemkin in 1944.   Hu said that in Raphael’s view, genocide is “a premeditated crime with clearly defined goals, rather than just an aberration.”   Raphael told this view to the new formed United Nations in 1948 and made the first genocide international law and to prevent and punish when someone or some government does genocide. Since then genocide has been discussed...
1 comment
Read more