Sikh Youth Pull Away from Tradition

from: The Vancouver Sun - March 30, 2008 (Page B3)

Washington Post

Sikh youth pull away from tradition


In an effort to fit in, an increasing number of Sikh men in India are cutting their hair and discarding their turbans, much to the alarm of their parents



CHANDIGARH, India: 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 he waged against his traditional Sikh parents to cut his hair.




Amandeep Singh Saini ( centre) cut his hair and discarded his turban, the most visible symbol of Sikh identity, at 14. The number of Sikh youths who wear turbans is declining.

The act was blasphemous to his father, who tied his long hair in a turban, the most visible marker of Sikh identity.



“ 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 student pursuing a doctorate in Punjabi literature.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/hard-talk/24447-sikh-youth-pull-away-from-tradition.html



After he cut his hair and disc a r d e d t h e t u r b a n , h i s t w o brothers followed suit. “ My mother wept, my father was angry, but I was stubborn,” he said. “ At that age, you don’t think about right and wrong. I look around the campus today, and t h e r e a r e s o f e w t u r b a n e d Sikhs.”



The rapidly shrinking number of young Sikhs who wear turbans and have unshorn hair has alarmed many in this religious minority of 20 million. Although there are no formal surveys, community groups say that only 25 per cent of Sikhs younger than 30 follow the practice. Many young Sikhs say the daily tedium of combing and tying up their long hair and a desire to assimilate



Tare pushing them to give up the turban, a sacred symbol of a religion founded in the 15th century. Now, a court case about college admission quotas for Sikhs is threatening to alienate hundreds of thousands of shorthaired, un-turbaned youths.



In August, four students petitioned the high court after they applied to a medical college under a Sikh quota but were denied admission. The college said the students, who had cut their hair, did not fit in the category of Sikh. In the ongoing legal proceedings, religious bodies have testified about the importance of uncut hair to Sikhism.



“ The case is about college admission quotas, but it 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 Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee, an elected forum of the Sikh clergy that runs the college and whose rules are designed to prevent the dilution of Sikh symbols. “ The court ruling will impact future interpretations of the word ‘ Sikh.’



Three hundred years ago, devout Sikh men and women were urged to demonstrate their commitment by not cutting their hair and by carrying a sword, comb and a bracelet. They were given the name “ Singh,” which means lion in Hindi, as a mark of common brotherhood that eliminates caste distinctions. 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 Akal Purakh Ki Fauj, or the Army of the Timeless Being, organizes the annual Turban Pride Day in April, sends volunteers to schools to teach turban-tying and has introduced a software program called the Smart Turban that helps people pick a style that suits them.



Since 2005, the group has held Mr. Singh International, a beauty pageant for turbaned Sikhs. Among other talents, contestants must demonstrate their turban-tying skills. The winners have won modelling contracts and movie roles.



“ We need more turbaned role models for our young,” said Navnit Singh, a member of the group. To this end, he recently launched a six-year-old turbaned cartoon character, Rony Singh.“ Rony Singh is a whiz kid and loves playing with gadgets. He can get his friends out of any sticky situation,” Singh said. “ He will be competing with Pokemon, Tintin and all the superheroes. I want kids to think the turban is cool.”



Turbans come in a variety of colors and styles, including polkadotted and tie-dyed. Shops even sell ready-made turbans. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a Sikh who was educated at Oxford University, wears a blue turban, and a popular cricket player started a fad by matching his turbans and ties.



In the early 1980s, Sikh religious extremists insisted on turbans and beards as an assertion of pride. Then, in 1984, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards after she sent the army to the Golden Temple, a revered Sikh shrine, to rout radicals holed up inside. Angry Hindus retaliated by targeting turbaned Sikhs, killing and burning thousands alive on the streets of the capital, New Delhi. In the following years of armed militancy and bloodshed, Indian police crushed the movement.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=24447



“ There were widespread human rights violations. Young men with turbans or with Sikh names were more vulnerable to being picked up and thrown into illegal detention. 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 over another round of tea. “ I am a Sikh because my faith runs deep in my heart,” Saini said.



“ 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."

source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/28/AR2009032801901_pf.html

 
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“ 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."
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=24447

LOL, classic.

Life demands inevitable change. A physical identity in a world of globalization will not succeed, no matter how hard you try. Spirituality in a world of information will not flourish and become obsolete.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=24447

This article should not be alarming news to anyone. We need to accept this fact, the Sikh identity will be left behind. We need to prepare our society, state, culture, and children for the future, for them to be economically successful and given opportunities.

Punjab has many more issues to worry about than if a kids hair is 2 inches or uncut hair. The sooner society leaves this topic alone and to the individual, the more we can focus on getting kids into schools and creating a bright economic future for the state. Build a future that the youth can economically survive off.

Who knows about the future?

In the 20 th century the main wars were not fought over religions but in 21st century
The biggest war is between fanatic islam and west. In India muslim youths are again fighting in courts so they can keep their beards which they earlier never did.

From 90s Cow slaughter is almost banned in all states of India even it is costing billions of rupees to economy.

The biggest fund for separatist movement for khalistan came from canada and on many
forum's I read That turbans have more bright future Than India

Some terribly bold statements there... both of which i personally, wholeheartedly, disagree with. The role of spirituality in society speaks to absolute truths, truths that go beyond the highly stimulated, media crazed, ego driven world we live in. Any physical identity challenges the individual - who are you? what do you stand for? why are you different?

The physical identity in the Sikh tradition speaks directly to ones character, on a practical and spiritual level, but only if one UNDERSTANDs the religion and UNDERSTANDs the reasons behind it. A deeper level of understanding of ones own self certainly has a place in this world - there are many upon many successful Sikhs (with the physical appearence) who have made it far in this 'globalised world' without opting-out on thier spiritual journey.

This issue in India, i believe goes to a lack of education of the youth, on the part of the 'clergy' as well as the parents. Scaring children into keeping the appearence, or forcing them through fear, even through an obligation to martyrs of old has limited success. THe true beauty of Sikhi, as expoused through the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji in philosophy, poetry, the absolute truths that are still relevent to us this very day, is often overlooked. The reason why we must accept the Will of Waheguru must be explained, debated, discussed - experienced - instead of scaring our youth into conforming.

Osctrasising those who do not keep the appearence by casting them as 'non-sikhs' will equally be of limited success - it just gives them a reason to forget about SIkhi altogether - easy pickings for the Christain convertors around.

I was born and raised in Australia - everyday we see more and more SIkh youth from punjab come to study here, their first port of call being the barbar shop. It is the local youth who are leading the religion into the future - who care about its future.

It makes you wonder as to the furture direction of our Great religion. Whatever it is, there is no doubt it will be the Youth who decide its fate...

If guru Nanak Dev ji is the main source of sikhism. which i have many sikhs and they said he is. than what i don't understand is that he never made the Turban compulsory and said nothing about keeping your hair. It was later done by the 10th Guru. DID THE MOST IMPORTANT FIGURE IN SIKHISM (GURU NANAK DEV JI), THE MAIN SOURCE OF THIS RELIGION, IF HE DIDN'T FIND IT COMPULSORY FOR HIS FALLOWERS TO WEAR TURBAN AND NOT CUT HAIR, THAN HOW IS IT THAT YOU MUST IN SIKHISM. Does the word Of LAST SIKH OVERTAKES THE WORD OF 1st, or the word of last Sikh is most impotant than the 1st. INDEED THE PERSON WHO ACCORDING TO SIKHS FOUND THE RELIGION (SIKHISM), he would know everything about it.

Dear friend ji,


Guru Nanak Dev ji in his Tenth form made a edict for the Sikh where hair must be kept. Guru Nanak Dev ji in the first form and to the Tenth form always wore a turban and kept the hair uncut. No Guru was held higher or one lower than the other. In form they may have looked different, but in thought and teaching they were the same and there is no contradictions in any of the Gurus writing.

Sir, find me a single saying from Guru Nanak Dev ji, in which he told the Sikhs (if there were any) to keep there hairs. He wore a turban, doesn't mean he didn't cut his hair. ME WEARING A TURBAN DOESN"T MEAN I DON"T CUT MY HAIR. I give you an example, IN ISLAM covering your head is Sunnah. which means that the islamic Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) covered his head with something, and if you study ISLAm, you will find out that the prophet wore a turban, now does that mean he didn't cut his hair, absolutely not. ( I AM NOT SPEAKING FOR ANY MUSLIM OR ANY RELIGION I AM A SIMPLE STUDEN OF ALL THE RELIGIONS AND SIKHISM IS ONE OF THEM).

Friend ji, that's what I said to you, in the Tenth form Guru Nanak Dev ji made an edict, that hair must be kept uncut.

Friend, yes that's why I said Guru Nanak Dev ji kept his hair uncut

Dear Friend Ji,

SIKHS consider the TEN GURUS as ONE JYOT..ONE ENTITY..ONE "NANAK".
Ample proof of this in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji..all Gurus are using the one name NANAK.
ALL TEN follow ONE SPIRITUAL ROAD MAP. No deviations..distractions..derailments.
And YES..the NANAK does know everything about his Gurmatt...and He wrote it all down for posterity in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.....and made it PUBLIC in front of a huge crowd of nearly 80,000 in AnandPur sahib in 1699 KHALSA DAY. WAho Waho Gobind Singh..Aapeh GUR- CHELA. The Chela is the KHALSA....and the GURU is Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji...sanctioned by the TEN NANAKS.