India's young Sikhs defy tradition, doff turbans
CHANDIGARH, India β Text messaging with one hand and holding a cup of milky tea in the other, spiky-haired Amandeep Singh Saini, 27, recalled the year-long battle against his traditional Sikh parents to cut his hair.
"I was 14 then. I wanted to jump into the village pool and play in mud. The long hair and the turban were always in the way. It took half an hour to tie the turban every morning," said Saini, a doctoral student in Punjabi literature.
After he cut his hair and discarded the turban, his two brothers followed suit. "My mother wept, my father was angry, but I was stubborn," he said.
"I look around the campus today, and there are so few turbaned Sikhs."
The shrinking number of young Sikhs who have long hair has alarmed many in this religious minority. Community groups say only 25 per cent of Sikhs younger than 30 follow the practice. Young Sikhs say a desire to assimilate, as well as the hassle of combing and tying up long hair, is pushing them to give up the sacred symbol of their faith.
In August, four students petitioned the high court after they applied to a medical college under a Sikh quota but were denied admission because they had cut their hair.
"The case ... has become part of dinner-table conversations everywhere. People are asking, `What am I? What will I be after the judgment?' It is unsettling," said Gurminder Singh Gill, an attorney for the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, an elected forum of Sikh clergy whose rules are designed to prevent the dilution of Sikh symbols. "The court ruling will impact future interpretations of the word `Sikh.'"
Faced with the recent decline in turban-wearers, the community is thinking up ways to draw young people back to the tradition.
A group called Akaal Purkh Ki Fauj, or the Army of the Timeless Being, organizes Turban Pride Day in April, sends volunteers to schools to teach turban-tying and has introduced a software program called Smart Turban, which helps pick a style.
Since 2005, the group has held Mr. Singh International, a pageant for turbaned Sikhs.
"We need more turbaned role models for our young," said Navnit Singh, who created a 6-year-old turbaned cartoon character, Rony Singh.
"He can get his friends out of any sticky situation," Singh said. "I want kids to think the turban is cool."
In the early 1980s, Sikh extremists insisted on turbans and beards. Then, in 1984, Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards in retaliation for having the army storm the Golden Temple, a Sikh shrine, to rout radicals holed up inside.
Violent anti-Sikh riots erupted, and thousands were killed, touching off years of bloodshed.
"Many Sikhs cut their hair and discarded their identity to escape police brutality," said Ishwinder Singh Chadha, a member of the Institute of Sikh Studies.
Back in the college cafeteria, Saini and a turbaned friend, Sukhjeet Singh Sandhu, discussed their faith.
"Every fold of the turban of a devout Sikh is like a historical chapter of his blood-soaked history, which every Sikh carries with him with great pride and dignity," said Sandhu, 26.
But he trimmed his beard, he said, because "campus life demands it."
Feeds
Youtube
Twitter
Facebook
Comments
The source.
Amandeep Singh Saini -- A coward
I do not believe in hygeinic
Shame on Sikhs these days.....
To be commended
Unrelated Pictures
How come pictures that are not related to the story are displayed repeatedly on Sikhnet? Recently there was the demostrations of the burning of Gurduara in London- and the pictures were obviously not accurate. Now on this article again, incompetent Rama Lakshmi has written a very biased article on washington post and the picture is not related. Infact this picture is not even posted on either washington post or thestar. Picture looks like a school campus or univ where Turbans are being promoted.
"Spirituality without religion is like a lemonade without lemon"
Picture has been corrected.
"A sound man's heart is not shut within itself but it is always open to other people's hearts. If I am true enough, I feel the heartbeats of others above my own."
Rony Singh Dream Books Available in USA
"We need more turbaned role models for our young," said Navnit Singh, who created a 6-year-old turbaned cartoon character, Rony Singh.
"He can get his friends out of any sticky situation," Singh said. "I want kids to think the turban is cool."
Rony Singh Dream Books Available in NYC, at a very special price.
As a contribution to Sewaa, Some gursikhs here have Volunteered to contribute half price for Rony Singh Dream Book(Regular price 12 Dollars in NY).
So every Dream book bought will cost you only 6 Dollars. Anyone interested, Please email harpreetnyc@yahoo.com
Please check the Rony Singh online at
http://sikhfoundation-store.org/catalog/index.php
http://www.ronysingh.com
Rony Singh Dream Book
Navneet Singh, is very creative gursikh from Chandigarh, India, who has been back bone of many multinational companies and one of the producers of first ever animated movies (Sahebzaadey,Baba Banda Singh, Sundri fame).
He has produced a Wonderful Dream Flip book. In order to strengthen his hands and provide all out support, we need your help in promoting and marketing these Flip books locally. Please read the following news and check the attached poster or contact him directly at navnit@littlemagicwords.com for further information.
Please see if you can help him in promoting this product.
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/date-with-dreams/399711/
Date with dreams
Discover the 12 keys to unlock your dreams and make them spring to life. Rony Singh's 2009 Dream Flip Book, conceptualized by city's Navnit and Jaspreet is a unique concept finding takers in India and abroad
It's a calendar, it's an activity book, it's a motivating tool, it's Rony Singh's 2009 Dream Flip Book which implores you to join the gang of three on an adventure to unravel the secrets of how to make your dreams come true. Flip open the pages and find a new key every month to unlock your dreams and make them spring to life! Rony is the 'Cool Guy', Jassie Kaur is 'The Google' and Mishi is 'Miss Haughty' who take you through the 12 months of the year, stressing on one quality for every month, with wit, humour, interesting illustrations and a brief profile of people who are an inspiration for success.
Conceptualized by Navnit Singh, the creative head behind hit animation films like Sahibzaadey, Rise of the Khalsa, Sundri, the characters of the creation were in Singh's head for a long time, "the inspiration for this are my children. I wanted my son and daughter to be achievers, but was not giving them a structured approach. The flip book is a result of my own failure to tell them what needs to be done to realize their dreams.'' His company Little Magic Words, which has brought out this is inclined to promote reading among children and inspiring them to write as well and also use educational tools to give them a platform to showcase their creativity. "And this is our big step towards it all," Navnit admits that he has no false expectations of making the readers instant successes, but to inculcate in their lives the value of words like dreams, plan 'n' action, focus, experience, can do, hard work, discipline...Pitching in with the concept and the
fabulous illustrations is Jaspreet Kaur, who simple enjoyed every moment of the process and Vikram Jit Sharma, who brought in all the colour.
What's more, each page has space for an activity which involves the child and the visual appeal is tempting to the eye. "There's no preaching and we have turned around several statements to make it witty and a lot of research was involved to pick people who would inspire and relate them to each quality. The choice was large," Pankaj P Singh of Browser is the Editor of the same and has been deeply involved with the venture from Day One. Though aimed at children, the flip book, points out Navnit and Pankaj, has a universal appeal, with already orders pouring in from the US, Australia, Canada and Navnit hopes that this will now be a regular annual feature from the company. Till next year then!