Thursday, September 5, 2013

The Indian Turban Hats Is A Beautiful Head Garment

By Kate McMahon


A turban is a piece of head clothing wrapped around the head to signify religious and personal beliefs. It is a garment that is widely worn in India. It is mainly worn by communities of a certain religious belief. However after the September 11 attacks in America many Indian Americans wearing the headgear have been discriminated against by the citizens there.The Indian Turban hats are however not very understood by people.

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.

In India it is not clear when the act of wearing this article started. However in Sikhism the article started being won after the Guru Amar Das was chosen for the position. The outgoing guru, Guru Angad Dev honored the new one by giving him this article to wear. This slowly caught on and the last human Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Sing wrote it in the scriptures that a Sikh is supposed to comb their hair twice a day and tie their turban carefully turn by turn.

The article is important due to what it signifies. It has a lot of significance in the Indian community, for one it is represents spiritualism and Holiness. It also stands for honor and self respect. It is only awarded to people who do a selfless deed for the entire community. It could also be used for responsibility. The son wore the article before many people during the Rasam Pargi to show an acceptance of responsibility from the father after he dies.

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 articles have different styles of tying them which are used according to occasion. One of the styles is the Chand Tora Dhalama which was used by the Nihang Sikh men. This was a style used in battle and was only used in war.

After the September 11 attacks, people wearing the headgear started being discriminated against especially if they were bearded, like all Sikh men are. This was very frustrating to the Indian Americans who have since waged a war seeking for their culture to be understood. This has born fruits and although it might not be the place where many thought they would be at this age and time, it is still somewhere.

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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