The Nigerian Mvies

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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.

In India the biggest faith religion that wears the garment is known as the Sikhs. They wear the article each and every day as was recommended by their guru. Apart from the Sikhs, many Indians preserve the article for use in occasions and significant ceremonies. They call the garment dastar and the wearers the Khalsa which means the baptized. Although some women don the garment, it is generally 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.

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.

The wearing of this garment not only has a rich history but is very significant in the lives of the wearers. It is also a preserve of culture and should thus be appreciated more now than ever. The Indian turban hats should be protected at all costs and understood by everyone.




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