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WJKK WJKF Jio, I have been amritdhari for a few yrs now and of I don't pluck off my facial hair I will grow a beard. When I did not touch it in the early days I was laughed at and even in my wedding I was ridiculed. I don't want to carry on commiting a bujer kureit and know best advice would be from the panj pyare but to any Gursikh - Shall I take my kirpan off (pray that one day I CAN have it with me again) but still keep keski, kara and kachera becuase these I need and have the strength to keep. Thanks. WJKK WJKF.

Hello, can anybody tell me how to tie a FIGHT PROOF dastaar for martial arts like kick boxing , thai boxing etc ... How do I tie it the best so it hardly get loose or fell off? Furthermore I would prefer to make thejura in the back , because if someone hits the joora , the pulling is too hard... Please some input and serious help.

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa,Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh Sangat Ji I used to have thick and lush hair but in the recent months my hair has become really thin.Is there any solutions to it?

vjkk vjkf, I'm 15 years old and I'm starting to grow a beard, I'm the only person in my family besides my younger brother who keeps his kesh and beard. My hair is only on the sides of my head and under my chin right now and is about an inch or two long. One of my friends gave me gel to keep it down, I don't know if I should use it though. Any feedback would be good. Thanks.

I think there is a need for central topics, on key issues which affect most sikh old and young alike. There are specific cases which can be discussed individually, however most people just look for general advice on the issue and it takes too long to find individual topics, where there are fantastic bits of advice, but its time to put it all together - which will help us all! This may be better in the gupt section? One such topic is off, Keeping Kes – common questions: “importance of keeping kes” “dealing with kes related issues” etc Post any advice/tips, inspirational stories that will help us stay in the form that the Guru wanted us to be in, and remain attached to Maharaj’s charan and not Mayas!

As a Sikh can understand if this question angers you, and I do not want to cause any disrespect to anyone or their ideals. That being said however, as I have grown and developed my own understanding of Sikhism, and tried to embrace its principles, I can't find a good answer to this question. For the sake of complete clarity, the reason I am asking these questions is because I am thinking of cutting my hair, and would like to know if there is any reason to keep it. If the reason is because "god" wants us to do so, well that seems very contradictory to Sikhism and its definition of god. I thought god was an indescribable being with no emotion and no love or hate. He wants all humans to be treated equally and fairly, and this is why we try to treat everyone as equals. Why then, would he care what we look like? How long our hair is? If the reason is because Guru Gobind Ji wanted stand out, and it has become part of our identity, then this reason makes slightly more sense to me but I still have issues with it. Why should we be defined by what we look like? A Sikh is supposed to be a good, fair and kind person. This, I feel, should be a Sikh's identity, not what he or she wears on their heads. These two are the only reasons I could think of for keeping my hair, but they dont make sense to me anymore. More than that I have reasons to not keep it long anymore. These reasons are not because of how I look (I think my beard and turban have a lot of swag actually), and not because of anything anyone has said to me (most people are accepting and awesome, the few who aren't should be ignored). My reasons for not wanting to keep my hair are rooted in the fact that I see no reason to objectify my faith in what I believe in. I don't like gifts on birthdays, I don't ever feel the need to proclaim anything strong about my identity, as I believe people should learn who I am over time. Then why should this turban and beard be the only exception to this rule? To also be totally clear and truthful, yes, I think it would be cool to try on different hairstyles over time, the same way I try on different clothing styles. Moreover, I believe I am a very logical person. I see no need to keep my hair long (based on what you've read above) and see one or two reasons to cut it. If you've made it this far into reading what I have to say, I really thank you and would love your opinion. In short: Do you keep your hair long? What are your reasons? Did you cut yours? Why did you feel like you needed to cut it Thanks a lot everyone, and hopefully we can keep this cordial and not infringe on each others beliefs.

VJKK VJKF I am a 19 year old boy Sikh living in the UK and I have an issue when it comes to the topic of my dhari. It’s not that anybody says anything to me anymore it’s just that I don’t feel comfortable with it. I don’t feel like myself. I feel have to think twice before I do anything becasue I may give Sikhs a bad name. I feel like a hypocrite. I’ve talked to my family about shaving my dhari and everytime it comes up my Mum gets upset and so does my brother so to keep everyone happy I do what they want me to do and not shave. But I feel that this is emotional blackmail and that in the end I have no choice, I’m being treated like a puppet and they are pulling the strings. To make matters worse my relatives think that me and my brother are really religious and are going to end up being Amritdharis, all because my Mum told them that me and my brother are going to take Amrit. I know that this is the case with my brother as he is into Sikhi and wants to take Amrit, but I am nowhere near ready. Saying this sometimes I do feel comfortable with my dhari. I do understand the importance of Kes, or well at least I think I do. But majority of the time I regret to say that I don’t feel comfortable and that I am keeping it because of my mother. I am in a dilemma. Do I keep my dhari despite being uncomfortable with it just to keep everyone happy and so that relatives don’t say anything to my parents, OR do I do what I want and end up upsetting people? I would appreciate some advice as I am really confused. It’s been like this for 3 years now and is beginning to stress me out. Many thanks in advance. VJKK VJKF

Hey All, I am a young Sikh about 18 years old. I keep long hair, and my whole life I have been questioning this practice. Sometime I would forget about the issue, sometimes I would think about it a lot and for a period I didn't think about it at all. However, now the thoughts have returned and I can't stop thinking about it. I have been reading up on Sikhism, and am currently reading The Sikhs by Kushwant Singh, some of you may know it. I am quoting this from the book, pp 39,: "Several theories have been advanced to explain the innovation of growing hair and the beard. It has been suggested that this was not an innovation at all and that Guru Gobind Singh's predecessors had all conformed to the tradition of Indian ascetics, who never cut their hair or beards. By making it obligatory for his followers, the Guru intended to emphasize the ideal of ascetic saintliness which he enjoined his followers. He wanted them to be soldier saints. Another version is that, prior to launching on this venture, Gobind had spent a long time invoking the blessings of Durga, the Hindu goddess of destruction. Since she was always portrayed with long unshorn tresses, the Guru believed that in deference to his patron goddess he and his followers should also leave their hair unshorn. A simpler and more plausible explanation is that in preparing his men against the Muslims, Guru Gobind Singh had to take account of the somewhat awesome aspect of the hirsute (means hairy) tribesmen from the North-west Frontier, who kept their long hair loose on their shoulders and let their beards grow. He made it a rule for his followers to do likewise sot hat appearance would no longer terrify. It is also likely that by having his followers wear emblems which made them easily recognizable, the Guru wanted to raise a body of men who would not be able to deny their faith when questioned, but whose external appearance would invite persecution and breed courage to resist it." Another paragraph relating to the issue of hair, pp 63, "The affinity with Hinduism explain both the Sikh drift away from Islamic associations and the pattern of Sikh reformation movements, which sought to maintain Sikh identity distinct from the Hindu. It also explains the Sikh attachment to external forms and symbols, which came progressively to have a more sociological than a religious significance. They became symbolic of belonging to a group and not necessarily of observing its religious ordinances" The paragraphs quoted above, tell me that the issue of hair was a matter of necessity of the time, and where it was required in those times is no longer needed. We are no longer in war, and sorry but I don't need more problems in my life "by inviting persecution", you don't need locks of hair to breed courage. Religion comes from inside, not from how you dress. Furthermore, these paragraphs tell me that the maintaining of long hair was a social construction rather than a religious "ordinance". Moreover, it was implemented because Sikhism was drifting towards Hindu practices, and the Guru wanted to make sure that we were distinct externally, but in practice during those days Sikhs were following many Hindu practices, which is why he wanted to make us different. Unfortunately, this has confirmed my belief that hair is not needed in Sikhism. I was looking for reasons to keep long hair, but this only tells me otherwise. My Dad has told me that if I want to cut my hair I have to give him a 1 year notice, I think I will. During this time I will research more on Sikhism and talk to Sikhs, to make sure that my decision. Please, everyone, share your thoughts on what I have said, and on the paragraphs I have quoted. This is a difficult decision for me.

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh Guru Roop Sangat Jeo, Just finished digitising this well-researched book by S. Gurcharanjit Singh Lamba. Although written as an open letter to monay and Sikhs who prefer to wear caps, etc instead of turban, it is equally inspiring for dastar/dumalla wearing kesdharis as well. Please do have a read jeo Download this book from SikhSangat: http://www.scribd.co...jit-Singh-Lamba Dhanvaad jeo! :happytyper:

Guru Fathe, I was wondering if anyone can advise.... I am 27 and have gone considerably white all over my head - to the point where people think I am the mother to 20 year old kids! I don't think that Sikhi allows me to dye my hair but not sure after reading a few things on the internet. Would be greatful from some advice.

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh Guru Roop Sangat Jeo, Gurprasad, here is a small booklet in English by Bhai Sahib Bhai Randhir Singh Ji on the importance of hair. Basically, it is a transcript of dialogue that took place between Bhai Sahib and the Superintendent of the Jail he was imprisoned in. Hopefully, it will of some use to those who have not read it yet Download from SikhSangat Scribd: http://www.scribd.co...b-Randhir-Singh Dhanvaad jeo!