Hi guys,
I'm new here but just thought I would give my own opinion on this issue. My father is a Kesadhari, and he's always been one since he was born. Although he did admit that when he came from Punjab to Canada, back in the early 80's, he did question the turban because of rascism and problems finding a job. However when he made a call back home to speak to my dada ji about it. My dada ji just said one thing to him, which I found extremely inspiring. "What shall I call you after you cut your hair? Ram, Mohammad or (Dad's name) Singh? Meaning that it is an integral part of our identity as Sikhs. After that there has never been a moment in our lives when my dad has ever questioned, but what we can't escape is this inevitable trend of everyone wanting to be more 'modern' and with this the turban is often viewed as something stopping us from progressing further. But what even defines 'modernity' ?, I mean isn't being modern more of our inner thoughts and feelings about issues in today's world, rather than holding onto styles that will come and go like the wind?
And also, I find it kind of funny how all the blame is centered on young Sikh BOYS who want to look 'cool' or 'fit in', what about Sikh GIRLS? Surely there is also now a trend of girls saying that a sardar will just simply not do and that they prefer a 'mona' for marriage? I'm sure many of you have heard that as well? So the problem is not just with the sikh boys, but with the entire youth. I mean I remember myself when after 9/11 had happened, I had never experienced racial slurs, especially in Canada, because of its huge diversity and large Sikh population. But it did happen, and it made me want to just assimilate... become someone who had no 'noticeable' identity. Is this a problem with the youth of today? We do not want to stand out perhaps? Maybe then the problem is our own self confidence? Perhaps we need to instill some self esteem and leadership roles into the children of tomorrow, so that next time someone does say something cruel to them, they stand up to it and are not bothered to hide or change themselves.
Another problem I have noticed is that many Sikh parents just keep their son's hair when he is small, but give him no definite teachings or even any understanding of the basic Sikh beliefs. This isn't just a problem for the boys but also the girls. Then how can you sit and cry when they do not want to go to the Gurdwara or find satisfaction somewhere else? There doesn't seem to be this effort in teaching children at a younger age, instead they can name the top 10 bollywood actors or favourite cartoon shows from the top of their heads, but they won't be able to tell you the 10 Guru's names. Is this not a sad reality of our own flaws? I'm not going to say that I don't watch bollywood or what not, because I'm not an extremely religious Sikh, but I do want to point out that my mother's stories about the Sikh Guru's made up very fond memories of my childhood. Punjabi classes at an early age, interacting with young Sikh children and participating in many Sikh events like Vaisakhi day parades shaped my childhood and instilled in me a passion for my faith. It's not very hard to do, it's not unknown that young children are very impressionable, so it's up to us as future Sikh parents to instill the right kinds of ideals and beliefs in our children of tomorrow. Because they are the future of our faith.