SOCIETY

In Punjab, being without a turban is no big deal

     Patiala: Traditional symbols of Sikh identity are being challenged by Punjab's Generation Next. Imagine Sikhs with crew cuts and long hair, gelled and oiled, spiked and straightened, but without the turban. Can't? Well, believe it, because young Sikhs are not thinking twice before cutting off their tresses. Guardians of the Sikh faith are a worried lot these days, as they believe that in at least 90 percent of Sikh families in Punjab, there some members who prefer not to wear the customary turban. The traditional symbols of the Sikh faith are Kesh (Hair), Kangha (comb), Kara (steel bracelet), Kachh (shorts), and Kirpan (a sword as an emblem of courage). Kesh or unshorn hair is regarded as a symbol of saintliness, harmony and a symbol of the Khalsa brotherhood and the Sikh faith. The shaving or cutting of hair is one of the four taboos or Kurehats. As per the Sikh tenet, the unshorn hair is to be covered at all times by the dastar (turban) as a sign of respect for God, and also as a sign of acceptance of the belief in the equality of men and women. Avtar Singh Makkar, the president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, the highest decision-taking body for Sikhs, has been quoted by the Times of India, as saying that this decision not to wear the turban, "is a challenge to the traditional Sikh identity, and the new generation has not understood the principles of Sikh faith properly and is giving in to Western influences." Sikh elders warn that if this trend is not checked, Sikhism as it has been understood for more than five centuries, will vanish. Makkar believes that this alarming trend is confined to Punjab, and not as visible in other states like Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Generation Next, however, counters with the view that the waering of turban is a "tedious daily chore and no longer a fashion statement in the modern-day era." There is also a view that wearing a turban can be a disadvantage rather than an advantage, especially on trips to the West, where suspicious Americans and Europeans now tend to identify Sikhs with Afghans and those of Muslims (fundamentalist) origin. In Punjab's rural areas, the younger generation now sees the turban as a restrictive religious accoutrement, preventing them from indulging in rave parties, drug parties, alcohol and cigarettes. Younger Sikhs now also feel that what is the point of wearing all these religious symbols, when those who do, are corrupt and have qualms about bypassing socially acceptable norms.
-Oct 30, 2006

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