Dastar Totally Explained

Everything about Dastar totally explained

ť For the shorthand form of a United States Supreme Court case, see Dastar Corp. v. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp.

Dastār (ਦਸਤਾਰ) or Pagṛī (ਪਗੜੀ) in Punjabi and Hindi is a mandatory headgear for sikhs. Dastar is closely associated with Sikhism and is an important part of the sikh culture. Wearing a turban is mandatory for all Amritdhari (baptized) Sikhs (also known as Khalsa).
Among the Sikhs, the turban is an article of faith that represents honor, self-respect, courage, spirituality, and piety. The Khalsa Sikhs, who adorn the Five Ks, wear the turban partly to cover their long, uncut hair (kesh). The turban is mostly identified with the Sikh males, although some Sikh women also wear turban. The Khalsa Sikhs regard the turban as an important part of the unique Sikh identity. They are easily recognizable by their distinctive turbans. Some Sahajdhari Sikhs don't wear turbans. It isn't uncommon to see Hindu males from Punjab wearing turbans signifying their close relationship with Sikhism.

History

The turban has been an important part of the Sikh culture since the time of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism. When Guru Ram Das died, his elder son Pirthi Chand wore a special turban, which is usually worn by an elder son when his father passes away. At that time Guru Arjan Dev was honored with the turban of Guruship:
ť Marne di pag Pirthiye badhi. Guriyaee pag Arjan Ladhi

Guru Angad Dev honored Guru Amar Das with a Siropa (turban) when he was made the Guru. Guru Gobind Singh, the last human Sikh Guru, wrote:
ť Kangha dono vakt kar, paag chune kar bandhai. ("Comb your hair twice a day and tie your turban carefully, turn by turn.")

Bhai Rattan Singh Bhangu, one of the earliest Sikh historians, wrote in Sri Gur Panth Parkash: ť Doi vele utth bandhyo dastare, pahar aatth rakhyo shastar sambhare

ť Kesan ki kijo pritpal, nah(i) ustran se katyo vaal

ť Tie your turban twice a day and wear shaster (weapons to protect dharma), and keep them with care, 24 hours a day.

ť Take good care of your hair. Do not cut or damage your hair.

Significance

In the Khalsa society, the turban signifies many virtues:

Spirituality ť The turban is a symbol of spirituality and holiness in Sikhism.

Honor and self-respect ť The turban is also a symbol of honor and self-respect. In the Punjabi culture, those who have selflessly served the community are traditionally honoured with turbans.

Responsibility ť Rasam Pagri ("turban ceremony") is a ceremony in North India. Rasam Pagri takes place, when a man passes away and his oldest son takes over the family responsibilities by tying the turban in front of a large gathering. It signifies that now he's shouldered the responsibility of his father and he's the head of the family.

Piety and moral values ť The turban also signifies piety and purity of mind. In the Punjabi society, the Khalsa Sikhs are considered as protectors of the weak, even among the non-Sikhs. In the older times, the Khalsa warriors moved from village to village at night, during the battles. When they needed a place to hide from the enemy, the womenfolk, who had a very high degree of trust in them used to let them inside their houses. It was a common saying in Punjab: Aye nihang, booha khol de nishang ("The nihangs are at the door. Dear woman! go ahead open the door without any fear whatsoever.")

Courage ť The Sikh warriors (Khalsa) wear turban, partly to cover their long hair, which is never cut, as per the wish of their last human Guru, Guru Gobind Singh. There are many references in the Sikh history that describe how Guru Gobind Singh personally tied beautiful dumalas (turbans) on the heads of both his elder sons Ajit Singh and Jujhar Singh, and how he personally gave them arms, decorated them like bridegrooms, and sent them to the battlefield at Chamkaur Sahib where they both died as martyrs. A saffron-colored turban is especially identified with courage, sacrifice and martyrdom.

Friendship and relationship ť Pag Vatauni ("exchange of turban") is a Punjabi custom, in which the people exchange turbans with their closest friends. Once they exchange turbans they become friends for life and forge a permanent relationship. They take a solemn pledge to share their joys and sorrows under all circumstances. Exchanging turban is a glue that can bind two individuals or families together for generations.

Some Sikhs also believe that wearing a turban enables one to command the Agya Chakra, the sixth yogic chakra. Harbhajan Singh Yogi wrote:

Sayings There are many Punjabi idioms and proverbs that describe how important is a turban in one's life. Bhai Gurdas writes: ť Tthande khuhu naike pag visar(i) aya sir(i) nangai

Ghar vich ranna(n) kamlia(n) dhussi liti dekh(i) kudhange ť ("A person, after taking a bath at the well during winter time, forgot his turban at the well and came home bareheaded.

When the women saw him at home without a turban, they thought someone had died and they started to cry.")

Sign of Sikhism

The turban is considered an important part of the unique Sikh identity. The bare head isn't considered appropriate as per gurbani. If a Sikh wants to become one with his/her Guru, he/she must look like a guru (wear a turban). Guru Gobind Singh stated: ť Khalsa mero roop hai khaas. Khalse me hau karo niwas.

("Khalsa is a true picture of mine. I live in Khalsa.")
Maintaining long hair and tying turban is seen as a token of love and obedience of the wishes of Sikh gurus. A quote from Sikhnet::
Styles of turbans

Men's Double Patti (Nok)

This is a very common Sikh turban style. It is very common in Punjab, India. The Nok is a double wide turban. 6 meters of turban cloth are cut in half, then into two 3 metre pieces. They are then sewn together to make it Double wide, thus creating a "Double Patti," or a Nok turban. This turban is larger than most Sikh Dastars, but contains fewer wraps around the head.

Chand Tora Dhamala

This style of turban is generally worn by Nihang Sikhs . This is a warrior style turban meant for going into battle. The "Chand Tora" is a metal symbol consisting of a crescent and a double edged sword, it's held in place at the front of the turban by woven chainmail cord tied in a pattern within the turban to protect the head from slashing weapons.

Amritsar Dhamala

This is the most common Dhamala turban. It consists of:

one 5 meter piece (Pavo Blue)
one 11 meter piece any color, commonly sabz (white) and pavo blue. Both pieces are 35 cm wide, and referred to in Amritsar as Dhamala Material.

Basic Dhamala

This is a very simple and basic Dhamala Sikh turban. This is the most popular turban among young sikhs of the Akhand Kirtani Jatha and also quite popular among those of Damdami Taksal in countries like America, England and Canada.

General Sikh Turban

Another common Sikh turban style for men. Unlike the "double patti" turban, the turban is longer and goes 7 times around the head. If you use the "Notai" technique and have a big joora (hair knot), don't make it right in front at your forehead. You will end up tying the turban on the joora, and it'll make your turban look very high and big.

Harassment faced by turban-wearing Sikhs

After the September 11, 2001 attacks in USA, many turban-wearing Sikhs faced assaults by some Americans who confused them with the Arabs (who were being associated with terrorism). The United States Department of Justice issued a poster aimed at getting the Americans acquainted with the Sikh turbans.

Struggle for the right to wear the turban

In modern times, the Sikhs, espeicially those outside India, have struggled to retain their right to wear a turban.
   Sikh soldiers refused to wear helmets during World War I and World War II. Many Sikhs have refused to remove the turban even in jails. Bhai Randhir Singh, a widely respected Sikh preacher, scholar and a freedom fighter underwent a fast to win his right to wear a turban in the prison.
   In 1982, the headmaster of a private school in UK refused to admit an orthodox Sikh as a pupil unless he removed the turban and cut his hair. This led to the long legal battle, Mandla v. Dowell Lee.
   In 1990, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that Baltej Singh Dhillon, an RCMP officer, should be allowed to wear a turban while on duty.
   In 2002, Jasjit Singh Jaggi, a Sikh traffic policeman employed with the New York Police Department (NYPD), was forced to leave his job because he insisted on wearing a turban on duty. He petitioned with the New York Human Rights Commission in July 2002, and in 2004, a US judge ruled that he should be reinstated.
   In 2004, the Sikh community protested against the introduction of a French law prohibiting display of any religious symbols in state-run schools. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee urged the French Government to review the bill, stating that the ban would have grave consequences for the Sikhs. The Government of India discussed the matter with the French officials, who stated that an exception for turbaned Sikh boys in French public schools wasn't possible.

Helmet exemption

In several parts of the world, the Sikh drivers are exempted from wearing a helmet when riding a motorcycle (which is mandatory for the non-Sikhs). These places include India, England, British Columbia, and Manitoba.

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