Few Questions About Dastars (Women)

[Harkiran Kaur]

I would really like to start practicing tying a dastar with keski underneath like this video that was posted recently in another thread (I hope I copied the correct link as I can't see the videos at work - YT is blocked) The correct video should be a young girl showing how she ties her dastar...

gol dastar - YouTube


Anyway my questions are: I have to order online, so what supplies do I need? Obviously the turban material... but what length? I don't want a big thick one, just a neat small one... the site I was looking on (GoSikh) they have a 3 meter option... is that ok? I don't have a large head. And obviously the keski is a separate one underneath.... what do I order for that? Is it the same material? So would I need to order 2 of the same colour (ie 2 x 3 meters)?? the style she wears I dont think would work with showing a different colour on the bottom peaking out... so the keski and turban should be same colour I think.

Right now, I just want to get a dark brown and a black... that should cover most of what I would wear for now. White looks like it would get way to dirty way too quick, and any other colour would just be coordinated to a specific outfit (though I do have a really nice magenta silk punjabi suit I wear special occassions, that a light magenta turban would look really good with and pinks / purples are my colour... but I digress)

But for now I'd like to order enough for a black and a dark brown... and then I will follow her video to learn from and adapt as necessary (my hair is nowhere that long yet - more like shoulder length so far)

----

Second question:

99% of the women here do not wear turbans... They are all Punjabi (a few are Amritdhari most are not). There is one girl I know of (full Amritdhari) who DOES wear a dastar though in a similar style to the video. Being a white Sikh... how would that be seen by everyone here if I started to wear one? I know its choice for women, and that all Sikhs 'should' wear one, but most of ther women dont and I dont want to alienate myself from them, or have them thinking I am trying to be 'better than them' because that's not why I want to. (Maybe I am thinking too much...)

My reasons are that my hair as it gets longer is impossible to deal with and keeping it neatly in a turban is the best option for me to let it grow. Second is, I want to do Amrit, and wearing a chunni all the time (or even a headscarf) would be somehow restricting and difficult due to it always falling off etc. (I already have to adjust my chunni incesantly at the Gurdwara because it keeps sliding off my head - and it's not just me... its ALL the women!) So, for all the Punjabi Sikhs here, how would you react if most of your female Sangat did not wear a dastar, and now you have a Gori coming to the Gurdwara, and now she starts to wear a dastar? Would you be supportive, or think she was trying to outdo you?

 

[hpannu]

Akasha Ji -

My two cents - order 10 meters of each color you want. The cloth material of my preference is FULL VOIL (it's light). I know of ehutty (to shop for Turbans) to order online.

Once you receive the Turban material. Cut it in half length wise. for Keski 3 meters is good enough. For the upper Dastaar ( to go on top of keski) you will need more than 3 meters. Every person has his own preference as to the length of that. You will learn after trying different sizes.

I hope that helps you.

Harjot Singh

 

[Harkiran Kaur]

Akasha Ji -

My two cents - order 10 meters of each color you want. The cloth material of my preference is FULL VOIL (it's light). I know of ehutty (to shop for Turbans) to order online.

Once you receive the Turban material. Cut it in half length wise. for Keski 3 meters is good enough. For the upper Dastaar ( to go on top of keski) you will need more than 3 meters. Every person has his own preference as to the length of that. You will learn after trying different sizes.

I hope that helps you.

Harjot Singh

Harjot Ji,

Do you mean cut it the long way? (as in two skinnier 10 foot lenghts)? Or do you mean cut it so I have 2 x 5 foot long pieces? Sorry if my questions seem silly.... I really have no idea how the material comes when you order it off the net.

Thanks!

 

[hpannu]

(as in two skinnier 10 foot lenghts)
I apologize for not making it clear.

1st step - cut it in two skinnier 10 foot lengths.

2nd step - cut 3 meters from one color to try it out for keski
(This will give you general idea / first experience)

3rd step - I will try the remaining 7 meters for the covering the Keski and giving it final shape. ( you might try it couple of times - first time trying is not enough )

4th step - After you see for your self how it looks on you. Then decide whether you want to cut it or not. If the answer is yes then ? is how much !

Harjot Singh

 

[namjiwankaur]

Sat Nam _/|\_

Thanks, Akasha ji, for starting the thread!

Yay! I'm also considering this so this thread is very helpful to me also!



Nam Jiwan

 

[Ambarsaria]

(as in two skinnier 10 foot lenghts)

I apologize for not making it clear.

1st step - cut it in two skinnier 10 foot lengths.

Harjot Singh ji thanks for helping our wonderful sister. I was wondering whether cutting it into 1 1/2 feet by 10 feet will destroy the edge which stops the cloth from dis-integrating? The cloth is edged in dastar/turban so that they don't have sundry threads falling off as well as give it strength when you do pooni/twirled and pulled before deploying. I know you can just do flat folds but just was not sure if your suggestion is good.

Sat Sri Akal.

 

[Kanwaljit.Singh]

destroy the edge which stops the cloth from dis-integrating

Have done the same for mal mal cloth of my dumalla. After wearing it a lot, it is hardly distinguishable which edge was intact and which torn apart.

PS: I do manual separation for clothes over 18 meters long. It is fun and people who see it first time think have gone mad

 

[hpannu]

In this case -She is trying for a dhumalla style dastaar. This style is easier with a half width Pagg cloth. Now a days it's hard to find half width dastaar cloth even in Punjab. So people have adopted to cutting it in half - length wise.

Turbans can be worn in many different styles. I started off with a double width Pagg. Basically Pagg is cut in half and then sewn together. Single width Pagg was big NO NO back then.

Now I can wear single width turban with no issues. Infact i prefer it now a days.

Of course majority of the times i am wearing Dastaar like in the youtube on this thread. with Keski underneath it makes it much stronger and doesn't move much.

 

[SikhiStore]

Half width dastars are easier to tie for round style dastars. Once you start learning to tie a dastar, it will seem difficult but stick with it as it becomes second nature very quickly.

As to you tieing a dastar, I think it is great. My wife started to tie one just before we got married and now my mum ties one too. Could probably count all other females to attend Gurdwara in a dastar on one hand but forget what everyone else thinks or does. Guru Jee blessed us with a dastar, not just men, all Sikhs. Tie it and be proud

We run www.SikhiStore.com and stock turbans/dastars too so please have a look. We are very good on pricing and last time i checked, work out cheaper than GoSikh even after including delivery to you from England (where we are based).

 

[Harkiran Kaur]

Thanks! I actually ordered a white and black from you... plus a bunch more stuff (5 K's) while I was at it... since I can't find anything locally. So if you see a recent purchase from Canada, that was me

Half width dastars are easier to tie for round style dastars. Once you start learning to tie a dastar, it will seem difficult but stick with it as it becomes second nature very quickly.

As to you tieing a dastar, I think it is great. My wife started to tie one just before we got married and now my mum ties one too. Could probably count all other females to attend Gurdwara in a dastar on one hand but forget what everyone else thinks or does. Guru Jee blessed us with a dastar, not just men, all Sikhs. Tie it and be proud

We run www.SikhiStore.com and stock turbans/dastars too so please have a look. We are very good on pricing and last time i checked, work out cheaper than GoSikh even after including delivery to you from England (where we are based).

 

[SikhiStore]

Good to 'meet' you and thank you for your order

I happened to pack your order myself last night and it was posted this morning. Maybe, if you get a chance, you could post some feedback on here once you get your items.

 

[Harkiran Kaur]

Sooo... I have not gotten the order yet, so I can't practice for real yet, however I was playing in Photoshop and basically this is the style I want to learn to tie... the question is, do you think it will suit me?? I basically PS'd a turban on a photo of myself to see what I would look like. Does this style work for me? Should I try another? Or should I stick to a chunni?

What do you think?? Opinions pls! As I don't want to learn a style that will not suit me!

 

[SikhiStore]

Vaheguru.. I think that looks great on you

Just go for any style and over time you'll probably adapt a style for yourself. Over last 10 years, i've gone through many styles including kenyan, nok and now at gol with many variants in between. Any Gursikh with any Dastar looks great! Dhan Sri Guru Gobind Singh Jees blessings

 

[Harkiran Kaur]

Thanks! btw I got my package in the mail! Thank you so much!

The kara is perfect size... the one I had was 58mm and just a tad too small and this one is just a teeny bigger and fits perfect without being too big like most the size smalls which are 65mm and much too big for me. The other items I am putting away in my Sikhi 'hope chest' for when I do Amrit. The adjustable gatras seem very well made and perfect for a shorty like me to make it the right length.

However I do plan on practicing with the turban cloth! Now I need to remember what someone said earlier in this thread... to cut it down the middle the long way so it's not as wide, and then cut the lengths I need. For the style in the above pic of me, how much material length would I need (roughly) for the keski and dastar each? I don't have a huge head...maybe 22" inches around (?) (normal small lady head size LOL - I am short and tiny haha :grinningkudi

Vaheguru.. I think that looks great on you

Just go for any style and over time you'll probably adapt a style for yourself. Over last 10 years, i've gone through many styles including kenyan, nok and now at gol with many variants in between. Any Gursikh with any Dastar looks great! Dhan Sri Guru Gobind Singh Jees blessings

 

[SikhiStore]

To cut the turban material in half, you normally just need to cut a small snip at one side and you can then rip it in half. I mostly tie half width dastars too as they are easier to manage.

As for sizes, I do not think there is no rough estimates, everyone I know ties dastars of different sizes and type of dastar material makes a difference too.

I would suggest you just start tying your new dastar regardless of length. When you think the keski or dastar is big enough, then you can mark the dastar and cut it there (double check and always leave extra as you need room to tuck it in and tying it loose or tight makes difference on length of it too, always better to have longer than too small).