School In Punjab Makes Turbans Mandatory For All Students

[Kharku]

truthfully if i was in a school run by a islamic trust and was asked to wear a hijab, i would also protest.

[2desi]

Does the school want the Non-Sikh students to wear proper Dastars or just to simply cover their heads with a ramaal?

[buddasingh]

What if other Hindu Schools makes mandatory Not to wear turban?

Read the first sentence from the article repasted below. The key is that the requirement is one of uniform, not religion. If Sikhs asked jews with yarmuka's to wear a turban, that would be infringing upon their faith. I expect jews would be given an exemption and encouraged to wear a yarmuka proudly. But asking others students to simply cover their head as a sign of respect which originated long before sikhi is NOT an infringement upon the religious rights of Hindu's.

The protest is akin to hindu's or sikhs in the west suggesting that by having a holiday on Sunday, they are being forced into Christianity. That is absurd. Sikhs and Hindu's respect the religious origin of this holiday and in fact it has become the most popular day to attend at a gurudwara or mandir without complaint. It does not infringe upon their religious rights, so it is a non-issue.

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"It's in the prospectus -- you take it or leave it," Beant Kaur, the principal of the school's Punjabi division, told Reuters. "This is not about religion. This is part of proper uniform, for uniformity in the uniform."

Swaran Kaur, the school's English division principal, says most non-Sikh parents were not bothered about the turban diktat and only a handful of "troublemakers" were creating problems.

"We have information that some of these people don't even have children studying in our schools," she told Reuters. "They are obviously trying to give this a religious colour."

The school's prospectus says its curriculum lays special emphasis on spiritual development so that the young learners develop into virtuous adults and be the torch bearers of society.

"Moral and spiritual education is compulsory for all students," it said.

[LifeIsBeautiful]

I went to Baru Sahiab and stayed a week there, and I found there were a number of children who were not sikhs, but wore turbans. I dont understand the hubaloo, the school is a Sikh Institution, if you want to study there, you have to wear a turban, end of story.

If you dont' want to follow the rules, go somewhere else. Its as simple as that. These schools are free for children or of negligible costs. Baru Sahiab - Akal Society is the only society that is actively promoting Sikhi in India.

Before I go on, I am a mona kona, my 2 cousins who used to cut their hair, in fact, my whole family are barbers, so I am just saying the kids who go there, you can't find that type of quality of a kid anywehre in the world. My 2 cousins were born in Canada, went to baru sahiab, kept amrit for the last 3 years, they were mona konais too.

Baru Sahiab Zindiabad.

[N30S1NGH]

EDITED

[njjassa]

i agree with that......until we are not able to overcome the concept of radical sikhism......such things would happen ......

[mann_kaum_layee_qurbaan]

buddasingh,

brother i differ with you on this one. I think you are saying that this is a case of uniform policy. Yet a uniform policy led to the issue of a sikh girl(sarikha singh) wearing a kara at a christian school in England.

also, the issue of uniform codes leads to issues for sikhs trying to jon up for military service in America and other countries. Sikhs in Canada fought for sikhs to wear dastars in Canadian Royal Mounted Police.

"Under pressure to recruit new officers from among Canada's fast-growing Sikh population, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police announced this year that its Sikh members would be allowed to wear turbans in place of the ranger hats that have been worn with dress uniforms since the 1870's. "

Covering one's head is not against Hindu beliefs, actually there was a nice article on panthicweekly about the history of the turban in hindustan and other regions and its importance to people of various faiths of the region. The concept of a turban may not go against the beliefs of Hindus, but no one is claiming that these are practicing Hindus, just as many "sikhs" are not practicing sikhs and do not wear the turban.

I think enforcing the concept of the turban alone is very dangerous to the sikhs. Because the dastaar is imporatant to sikhs not just as a dastaar, but as a compliment to kesh. There are various punjabi songs glorifying the turban recently, "pagg banani bhul jayioh na punjabio.." etc etc but this is dangerous because a pagg or turban without kesh for a sikh is nothing really. why do sikhs wear a turban? to cover kesh. not just to cover our heads, its to cover kesh. what are hindu students covering?

I'm sure you already know that many people who know about sikhs wearing turbans are unaware that underneath the turban the sikhs have unshorn hair. and for thsi reason i was glad that the singh in the movie, "life aquatic" actually shows his kesh without turban, so people can be educated as to the reason a sikh wears a turban.

i think this issue has very far reaching implications as to what the sikhs are trying to represent. we can enforce turbans for everyone at this institute, but then when you have hindus etc at this institure wearing turbans, doesn't that show sikh students that, its all good as long as you wear a turban but what's underneath, kesh, is not an issue?

chalo.

peace.

[T Singh]

CLARIFICATION STATEMENT BY

THE KALGIDHAR TRUST-BARU SAHIB

Made by Major General R.S.Chhatwal Retd.

(Official spokesman of The Kalgidhar Trust, managing Akal Academies):

The issue of forcing Hindu students to wear dastar / turbans by Akal Academy has been totally misunderstood & misrepresented with a view to make it look communal.

We wish to clarify the following:

1. Wearing of turban is a symbol of Indian pride, honour, tradition, simplicity & modesty. Sikhs wear turban on account of this and many Hindus also wear turbans. For example: Indian leaders like Swami Vivekananda, Lala Lajpat Rai, S. Radhakrishnan (Ex. President of India), Dr. C.V.Raman (Noble Laureate) and Rani Jhansi etc wore turbans. It is a common folklore that says " Pagri di laaj" i.e. 'honour of the turban'. We do not enforce sikh doctrines upon any non-sikh.

2. The wearing of uniform in school brings a sense of equality & upholds discipline values. There are no distinctions between students of different religions, castes & even between boys & girls ( to reduce sexual attraction and bad thoughts). Not a single instance of any teenage harassment of any sort has been reported in any of our schools. This helps to keep students away from distraction & focuses their energies in positive directions and more concentration on studies. That is why rural Akal Academies are producing excellent results outperforming schools from urban areas.

3. Vested interests are trying to make communal issue of a simple implementation of dress regulation of the school. We should negate such nefarious designs of misguided and mischievous elements.

We stand by the principles of simple living and high thinking and imparting value-based education, which have led to us producing not only best academic results but also all around development of the children

Kalgidhar Trust Uk

www.kalgidhartrust.org.uk

07500 430 449

[Singh, Mahan]

CLARIFICATION STATEMENT BY

THE KALGIDHAR TRUST-BARU SAHIB

Made by Major General R.S.Chhatwal Retd.

(Official spokesman of The Kalgidhar Trust, managing Akal Academies):

The issue of forcing Hindu students to wear dastar / turbans by Akal Academy has been totally misunderstood & misrepresented with a view to make it look communal.

We wish to clarify the following:

1. Wearing of turban is a symbol of Indian pride, honour, tradition, simplicity & modesty. Sikhs

wear turban on account of this and many Hindus also wear turbans. For example: Indian leaders like Swami Vivekananda, Lala Lajpat Rai, S. Radhakrishnan (Ex. President of India), Dr. C.V.Raman (Noble Laureate) and Rani Jhansi etc wore turbans. It is a common folklore that says " Pagri di laaj" i.e. 'honour of the turban'. We do not enforce sikh doctrines upon any non-sikh. .....................................

.......................................................

Maj. Gen Chhatwal said is right

By wearing a turban Hindu students do not become Sikhs. Turban has been part of the Indian culture. Watch the footage of India Olympic teams marching in the opening and closing ceremonies of last Olympics, they all wore turbans as the national symbol. Sikhs did not force them to do that , nor did they become Sikh converts by wearing turbans. I am sure that in all probabilities even in this year’s Olympics, the Indian teams will wear turbans in opening and closing ceremonies.

In India, during her Independence day and Republic day parades almost all the troupes (almost 90 % of them are from Hindu regiments) wear turbans when they march past. By doing that they are not becoming Sikhs, nor are they doing to ,please Sikhs. Turban has been part of India’s elite classes much before the Sikhism came there. Even in very recent history some of the notable Hindus routinely wore turban (as pointed out by Maj. Gen.Chhatwal ).

Majorities of Hindu villagers in Rajasthan wear turbans.

All the sipahis ( junior policemen) of Punjab Police wear turban, regardless of being Hindus, Muslims or Christians by religions. In doing this they do not become Sikhs or start to submit to Sikh tradition.

Even at the marriage ceremonies most Hindu grooms wear turbans. Also the male members from the bride’s and groom’s families wear turbans on that day. So by wearing turbans, Hindus or Muslims do not infringe upon their religious principles.

But asking a Keshedhari Sikhs not to wear turban would be asking them to infringe upon their religious principle. The Akal Academy has a rule that if a Hindu student wants to grow his hair long, he has to bring a letter from his parents that he is doing it by their consent not because of under any compulsion from the academy.

So all those, who think that Akal Academy , by doing this, is enforcing the Sikh identity upon the non Sikh students should not get upset about this as this is not even the issue there.