My Turban, My Crown
Dr. Gurbakhsh Singh, U.S.A
In the mid-eighties, an international seminar was held on the Sikh faith in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The speakers were invited by the President of the Gurudwara to address the Sangat briefly on Sunday. After morning kirtan, the author and other speakers gave lectures for seven to ten minutes as planned by the management. The sangat was emotionally charged when on of the speakers (European-American having adopted the Sikh faith) described about the faith. The key part of his lecture may be summarized below:
Sikh receives their turban as their inheritance and gets them free without paying any price for them. Some Sikhs, therefore, do not know the value of the turban; they may just throw it away without a second thought. I was in search of a turban and I found one. I picked it up, cleaned it and tied it on my head with great honour. For me it is not a mere piece of cloth, which I wrap on my head to cover my hair. I respect it as a crown grated to me by my “father” (Religious Guru or Father) Guru Gobind Singh. I was not born to Sikh parents. Therefore, I did not receive this turban free as my heritage. I had to pay the price for it. My friends left me when they saw me with a turban on my head. I had to sacrifice my relations. Even my mother and brother deserted me because they did not accept me with my turban. Now you can understand how much I value it.
A king puts a crown on his head as an insignia of being the ruler of the country. Another person with a stronger force may take over his country and also his crown from him. However nobody can take the crown away from me because it was gifted to me by my father, Guru Gobind Singh. The Guru paid more than the full price of this crown by sacrificing his whole family, His father, mother, and all of his four children. In this way, He earned this crown for His Sikhs. Later, the Khalsa Panth had to give their homes and live for three generations in the jungle. Many Sikhs underwent unbearable tortures but did not barter their turban.
Today, when I wrap my turban on my head, every hair on my body feels grateful to the Guru and utters, “Father, thank you.” You paid the price of this holy crown by the blood of your crown by the blood of your family and innumerable devotes. No king or tyrant can take it away from me. Only ignorant or ungrateful Sikhs may themselves throw it away. They forget that along with the turban they also lose their right to be respected and addressed as Sardar ji, the son of Guru Gobind Singh.”
It will not be out of place if I restate here the feelings of another Englishman. Mr. Cliffe R. Huthins, who had adopted the Sikh faith. When someone asked him why he had to wear long hair to practice the Sikh philosophy of life, he answered, ‘is it not enough that people call me the son of Guru Gobind Singh just because I wear the five Kakaars?”
The author visited India in 1999 to participate in the Gurmat Chetna Lehr inaugurated by the Jathedar of Akal Takhat for educating the Sikh youth regarding their heritage. He narrated the message of the above lecture to the Sikh youth. In every Group there were some Sikh youth without turbans. After listening to this, some of them would stand up and make a promise “From now onward I am going to keep my hair and tie a turban to enjoy the self esteem of being the son of Guru Gobind Singh.”
From: - Sikh Phulwari, March 2007 edition.