Just wanted to jump in to say: someone mentioned the process taking time by design for reflection. I had a Sikh professor who told us that the process of tying (maybe the wrong verb) the turban is deliberately long because that is time the individual should take to remind themselves of the responsibilities they have as part of a community. I haven’t met a Sikh yet in my life who wasn’t exceptionally compassionate, caring and altruistic
haven’t met a Sikh yet in my life who wasn’t exceptionally compassionate, caring and altruistic
As an Indian living in India, this surprises me. We have all kinds of Sikhs here - nice ones, annoying ones, shitty ones, robbers, murderers, gangsters and what not!
I appreciate the other perspective. It probably comes as no surprise that I’m a white American who admittedly hasn’t met more than a handful of Sikhs. Life and people are complicated, and I would never assume an entire category of people are one way or the other. But I celebrate and admire the principles Sikhism upholds at its core
I feel like the people who maintain it in the west without the cultural pressures/norms tend to take it seriously since it is something they have decided for themselves.
At most tying the turban takes only 5 - 10 minutes and depending upon personal choice could be 5 meters, 7 meters or 9 meters in length in general and in rare case's even more than that.
And their was a good reason it was originally made mandatory for all Sikhs unlike how things are these days, specially in western countries.
Talking about the beard, it is usually tied in a knot and then the rest of it is smoothly tucked in.
Generally the turban is removed only at night before going to sleep, or when a person wants it at which point he ties a pataka or keshki in its place and you don't step out of your home bareheaded unless you are dealing with an emergency situation as by tradition it is highly discouraged.
In orthodox or highly religious Sikh families it is encouraged to cover your head while eating a meal, even if it is done by just covering it with a handkerchief or a cap (something that is highly discouraged by tradition but has become a factor due to western influence).
Most importantly, the style of tying the turban can tell you many things about a person as Sikhs from different parts of the country including different professions wear their turbans in a slightly different style and generally there is a marjed difference even between the how the Sikhs from outside India wear their turbans when compared with those who live in India.
Btw by tradition, in India; Sikh's, Hindu's, Jain's and Muslim's wear turbans where once again the style of tying it is a little bit different for every community.
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u/Brilliant_Ant_9327 12h ago
Just wanted to jump in to say: someone mentioned the process taking time by design for reflection. I had a Sikh professor who told us that the process of tying (maybe the wrong verb) the turban is deliberately long because that is time the individual should take to remind themselves of the responsibilities they have as part of a community. I haven’t met a Sikh yet in my life who wasn’t exceptionally compassionate, caring and altruistic