Jump to content

Why are starched turbans hated?


Recommended Posts

I tie a Punjabi style dastar with starch. Why do people hate this so much? Once when I was tying my dastar my neck seized up and the apna doctor said staying in that position daily for more than 5 mins is dangerous. He recommended a starched pagg like his dad. And I respect my pagg more than my life. I put it on the top shelf of my cupboard whenever it isn't on my head, recite Waheguruji da naam whenever I am tying my joora, fifty and when i place the Dastar on my head and I mata thek and kiss  it before I do. And when I do tie it (every 4 months when the starch starts to weaken) I make sure that I pooni and tie it with much love and whilst reciting paath.

I get that if someone treats their turban like a hat (eg: throwing it on the floor, cramping it or just disrespecting it) then this is unacceptable but just cos one puts their pagg on their head rather than tying it each time doesn't mean they treat it as such. (and let's be honest, starched or not we've all put our dad's pagg on our head like a hat when we were kids as a joke and meant no disrespect. Intention is everything). Ik Singhs who get angry tying their pagg and start doing maa/phen di gaaliyan, and when they take it off they just throw to the side and wait to tie it again next time.

(Also, I'm from a Jat Sikh family so pls don't try to make this about "starched paggs are tarkhan/caste based" or anything stupid like that).

PS: I do remember that stupidness in the 90s/early 2000s UK when Sikh men used to have a tiny starched paggs and were completely clean shaven or had a little goatee like Herbie Sahara/ Vijay from achanak. Now THAT was stupid and deserves all the hate but I just mean the concept of a starched dastar whether it's Punjabi Style, Kenyan style or whatever

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
On 2/7/2025 at 10:48 AM, VSinghz7 said:

I tie a Punjabi style dastar with starch. Why do people hate this so much?

Bro, there's nothing wrong with adding starch to your clothes to enhance their ability to "stand".

The objection is not to the starch. The objection is to taking it off in one swoop and putting it back on, like a hat.

"Like a hat" doesn't mean throwing it on the ground. Do Englishmen throw their hats on the ground? "Like a hat" means taking it off and putting it on a shelf. Don't pretend to be naive, bro.

The rehit, as stated by Bhai Nand Lal ji, is "paag chunaai kar bandai", that is, tie the turban section by section.

No one is forcing you to do anything, but please don't pretend you're following the original rehit of Guru Maharaj.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, BhForce said:

Bro, there's nothing wrong with adding starch to your clothes to enhance their ability to "stand".

The objection is not to the starch. The objection is to taking it off in one swoop and putting it back on, like a hat.

"Like a hat" doesn't mean throwing it on the ground. Do Englishmen throw their hats on the ground? "Like a hat" means taking it off and putting it on a shelf. Don't pretend to be naive, bro.

The rehit, as stated by Bhai Nand Lal ji, is "paag chunaai kar bandai", that is, tie the turban section by section.

No one is forcing you to do anything, but please don't pretend you're following the original rehit of Guru Maharaj.

Who is pretending to be naive bro? And we are only talking about proper starch (to make the Dastar stay in shape to put on head again without tying for a few months). And we DO tie it section by section, just not every time we wear it. We don't just buy it in a shop, we do have to pooni and tie as normal, just not as regularly.

So what is the problem with starched turban if it is respected? Like I said some people treat fresh tied paghs badly and some treat their starch dastar with the upmost respect

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 3/10/2025 at 10:18 AM, VSinghz7 said:

So what is the problem with starched turban if it is respected?

Bro, as stated above, you can do whatever you want. No one is snatching your starched turban, 2 weeks old, from your head.

But what you want is for Guru's Singhs to call your turban in accordance with rehit. That's not going to happen.

Also, why can't you simply tie your starched turban fresh every day? (Genuine question)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 3/10/2025 at 5:18 PM, VSinghz7 said:

Who is pretending to be naive bro? And we are only talking about proper starch (to make the Dastar stay in shape to put on head again without tying for a few months). And we DO tie it section by section, just not every time we wear it. We don't just buy it in a shop, we do have to pooni and tie as normal, just not as regularly.

So what is the problem with starched turban if it is respected? Like I said some people treat fresh tied paghs badly and some treat their starch dastar with the upmost respect

what kinda pagh are you tying that is taking more than 5 minutes?

Actually puraatan maryada is to sit cross legged and cover your feet, tying pagh sitting down. The standing up may hurt your head.  Turban is not a hatm, many shaheediyaa have been given for the cost of this turban. MAryada is to tie fresh each time, and also twice a day. I kanga my kes twice a day and do keski twice a daym sometimes do my pagh or dumalla the 2nd time as well if I am going out.

Just sit down, put a mirror in front and there should be not stress on your neck.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

  • advertisement_alt
  • advertisement_alt
  • advertisement_alt


  • Topics

  • Posts

    • I know a Rajput Uncle who is a councillor and he wears the regular panjabi pagh. I wouldn't know he is a rajput because coul easily fit into any panjabi sikh or jatt background. But I can tell from his surname.  However when I look at proper Rajputs they were warriors and kings with those kind of paghs, similar to wearing dumallas or shahi turbans, some looked like Nihang Singhs! And Rajput background sikhs were involved in shastarvidiya training with Guru Hargobind and Guru Gobind Singh, as well as becoming their sikhs.    A rajput background sikh has double responsibilities to maintain turban and also training shastar. I think a Nihang Singh type look is more suitable for a sikh from Rajput background than any patiala shahi or average panjabi pagh
    • "Preserve Shastar Vidiya any way you can."(Rattan Singh Bhangu, Siri Guru Panth Parkash, ed. Dr Balwant Singh Dhillon, 36)
    • what kinda pagh are you tying that is taking more than 5 minutes? Actually puraatan maryada is to sit cross legged and cover your feet, tying pagh sitting down. The standing up may hurt your head.  Turban is not a hatm, many shaheediyaa have been given for the cost of this turban. MAryada is to tie fresh each time, and also twice a day. I kanga my kes twice a day and do keski twice a daym sometimes do my pagh or dumalla the 2nd time as well if I am going out. Just sit down, put a mirror in front and there should be not stress on your neck.
    • I was at the Slough Singh Sabha gurdwara last week. I think he was a teen, a tall young Singh got a deep gash wound on his arm from gatka, somewhere near his wrist. He was already on the floor when I entered through the langar hall, but I am sure he did it to himself not through a gatka "battle". I am unsure which shastar he used. I checked and the shastars seemed lightweight for the children. I picked up the khanda and it was light, not like a real khanda. I really want to emphasise that we should not be promoting twirly sword dancing as a "sikh martial art". This young Singh was hurting and gasping - why are we teaching twirling swords around in a way that may hurt oneself?? Promote shastarvidiya savai raksha and other martial arts which are about causing damage to the enemy. Why are we teaching this style of twirly gatka that's detrimental/harmful to ourselves and our allies? A twirly sword might hurt an ally in a battle, and doesn't allow allied warriors good movement around the sword twirler. This also reminds me during the summer, they were teaching some move to kids where you do some spins with the feet and then do a backwards bhangra type jump. I wasn't sure if this was a martial art or bhangra being taught?! Also at another gurdwara in another city/town in the midlands, the year before at a kids sikh club a guest gatka teacher was teaching basics to little kids by making then practice making infinity symbols with the gatka sticks!!! If we are showing off something ineffective and also harmful to the practitioner and allied warriors, then it's nothing to be proud off! If we are going to show our puraatan shastars off, we need to do it in a respectable manner not in this archaic colonial gatka era! The teaching is just as embarrassing as the last 2 decades and I don't understand why we want to promote it as a sikh martial art, to the sangat and to outsiders? the injuries are just not worth it for learning this modern gatka!    "Preserve Shastar Vidiya any way you can."(Rattan Singh Bhangu, Siri Guru Panth Parkash, ed. Dr Balwant Singh Dhillon, 36)
    • Bro, as stated above, you can do whatever you want. No one is snatching your starched turban, 2 weeks old, from your head. But what you want is for Guru's Singhs to call your turban in accordance with rehit. That's not going to happen. Also, why can't you simply tie your starched turban fresh every day? (Genuine question)
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use