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Monday, 2 September 2013

Let Us Appreciate The Indian Turban Hats For What They Are

By Kate McMahon


A turban is a kind of headgear worn mainly by men of the specific community for mainly religious purposes. Among the various communities that wear these garments are the Indians. The Sikhs is one of the most common turban hats wearing Indian faith religion. They call the garment a Dastar. They are not the only faith religion that wears the headgear in India however as the Muslim also does that as a religious observance. The Indian turban is a common but often misunderstood headwear.

The article is won for different reasons by the different people. For one many Indians wear it only on significant celebrations and ceremonies. The Sikh however wear the garment on a daily basis due to their religious requirements. They call the headgear a Dastar which the Khalsa, the baptized, have to wrap around their head on a daily basis. There are a few women who wear the article but it is however identified by the men.

The history of the use of this garment in India generally is not known, however in Sikhism it started being worn during the time of the first guru. When Guru Amar Das was chosen as the next new Guru the exiting one, guru Angad Dev honored him by giving him this article to wear. The last human Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Sing wrote comb your hair two times in a day and tie your turban carefully, turn after another.This is what guides the Sikhs to up-to-date.

The garment signifies many things in both Sikhism and the Indian culture. The first and most common representation is spirituality and holiness. Honor and self respect is the other significant representation of the article. If you were give the article it meant you had done something very selfless in helping the community prosper. It was also used to represent responsibility in ceremonies such as the Rasam Pargi. During this ceremony the son wore the garment before everybody to show taking over responsibility from the fathers passing.

Piety and moral values are also signified by the head clothing. In times of war the Sikh warriors could hide in any house, even that of the womenfolk, from the womenfolk. They were trusted because they were expected to be nothing short of pure minds and piety. It is also a symbol of courage as it was mainly wore by warriors in times of war. It is also used to signify friendship. During pag vatauni, a custom, one exchanges their Turban with that of a close friend. This is usually a pledge to sharing the joy and sorrow of the other under any circumstances.

The style of wrapping also stood for something in the community. The Chand Tora Dhalama for instance was a style that was used by warriors in the battle field. It is mainly worn by the Nihang Sikh men.

It has not been an easy ride for the Indians who live outside India and still wear the headgear as discrimination is rampant. After the September 11 attacks most people assume people wearing the article are all terrorists and thus treat them the same even though this is not the case. It is important that people know these garments are significantly different to those worn by the Muslims.

This is a cultural and historical garment that needs to be more appreciated than it is at the moment. The discrimination should also be stopped as the wearers of the garment are also human. Let us appreciate the Indian turban hats for what they are.




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