Turban - The pride of the Sardar

          Ludhiana: The Sikh turban goes beyond cultural attire, becoming a part of the persona of the individual, one that cannot be done away with by a temporal ruling. It is a symbol of the pride of the Sardar anywhere in the world. And there are some who try to outdo even that. It takes him almost two hours to get it into shape. Some 400 metres, that's almost half a kilometre of blue and saffron cloth go into the making of what is perhaps the biggest Sikh turban known, all set to find a place in the record books. Baba Major Singh of the priestly sect of the sikhs, the Nihangs, is a resident of Amritsar, the spiritual hub of the faith. To more than 40 kilos that his turban would normally weigh, are added a host of Sikh insignia, iron bangles and other holy symbols. The ritual, as sacred to Baba Major Singh as life itself, the wearing of this mammoth turban, has been repeated regularly since 1995, for him a symbol of the devotion to his religion, an emblem of the selfless warrior fighting injustice in the spirit of the Sikh Gurus. Its lead to no major health problems except the occasional neck pain when worn for long durations. But here, the spiritual is far more important than the mere temporal. Says Major Singh, "The Sikh Gurus always tied a turban, proclaiming themselves of the race of warriors and martyrs, and from their photos in calenders and the like, the people also took it up. "Today, it is work out of a desire to keep alive an age old tradition, a symbol of the faith, saying that to this day, the Sikhs are the selfless warriors ruling over this world. We want to keep alive the message of the Gurus." Another aspect of devotion to the 'pag', this time among the common man too.

           Harpreet Singh of Ludhiana runs a turban tying centre - far from being a fashion clinic - more the type dedicated to the Sikh turban's religious signficance. The dexterity and skill that go into tying it to perfect shape go beyond cultural paraphernelia that can be done without. Its a feature that holds tremendous spiritual and temporal significance. Harpreet Singh Negi, who holds classes to teach youngster to tie the Sikh turban reminisces, "Some boys came to me saying they could not tie a turban and so had decided to have their hair cut short. I was pained and I decided that I would teach the art of turban-tying free of cost. People do charge money for it, but for me this is sacred service. Every evening between 7 and 8, the boys who come to me first read the 'path', the prayer to the Gurus, and then I teach them how to tie the turban the Sikh way."

          And behind every necessity lies the business proposition. Sale of the material that goes into the pagri, traditionally between 4 and 6 metres, has seen evolution over the decades. Material popularly used, colours and more, has been dictated by convenience and usage. Mohinder Pal, a shop owner selling pagri material for the past three decades relates, "25 - 30 years back, starched silk was used to tie the turban. But having it starched every time was a problem, so by the 1970s people had switched over the other material like terrycot or cotton. In the old days the turban was tied once a week or so and reused like a hat, because starching it every time was difficult. With cotton, people started tying a fresh turban everyday because it was much easier and quicker. That gives a fresh feeling to the wearer too." The youth of the day, one would think, would consider age old customs stuffy and boring. The wearing of the turban though, the traditional dastaar or pag, is an object of pride, the statement of the Sikh identity. A rule of law can hardly change the basics.
May 30, 2004

Deer is sterilised in Patna zoo (Go to Top)

         Patna: Rising population of spotted deer at the Sanjay Gandhi Botanical Garden in Patna has prompted authorities to sterilise the animals. Deer have grown at an alarming rate in the past few years, causing a strain on the zoo's limited resources. "We have been carrying out population control measures for the past one year. We have castrated all the males of Sambhar and 13 spotted male deer have been castrated. Whenever they are busy, we castrate them in order to control the growing population," said Ranvir Singh, Director of Sanjay Gandhi Botanical Garden of Patna. The sterilisation process is carried out under strict sterile conditions, with the animal under general anesthesia. "The process (of castration) has been hundred percent successful in our zoo. We carry out the process with the help of a castrator. In this the animal does not face any troubles nor do we have to operate them," said Singh. After castration, the animal is marked with a yellow tag to avoid its re-castration. Authorities say the population of deer has increased by two since last year. The zoo has now 67 deer. May 25, 2004

Deforestation leads to rise in temperature in Shimla (Go to Top)

          Shimla: Tourists flocking to Shimla have been caught on the wrong foot by the hot weather prevailing in the usually cool resort. Temperatures have already soared four to five degrees above normal across large parts of the country due to a heat wave. Tourists holding umbrellas said they felt cheated by the unexpected weather. "For the first time in my life I have seen such hot temperature in Shimla. We had come here to have some respite from the heat in Mumbai. Now we can only go out in the evenings," said Rajiv, a tourist from Mumbai. Tourists also complained about the lack of town planning which has turned the resort into a concrete jungle. "There is water scarcity in the hill station. Coupled with this there is a concrete jungle out here. We did not experience any cool breeze here. If we have to switch on fans even after coming here then what's the fun in coming to a hill station," Mohan, a tourist from Jaipur, said. Locals squarely blamed deforestation for the rise in temperatures. "I have never seen so much heat in my entire life here in our hill station. The only reason which I feel is due to deforestation and use of plastic. And another reason for the heat is less rainfall," said Kuldeep, a resident. Situated at 8,048 feet above sea level with temperatures rarely crossing 25 degrees during summers, Shimla is a favourite haunt of people from warmer parts of the country. May 24, 2004

Gatka, Punjab's martial art (Go to Top)

          Amritsar: Like the Chinese Kung Fu, Korean Taekwondo and Japanese Judo, Punjab has its own martial art - Gatka, an exercise for disciplining the mind and the body. A group in Amritsar runs a 'Gatka Akhara' (a training ring) that is meant for the wellbeing of youth in particular. As Amritsar winds up for the day, there is a kind of spirituality that transcends to areas like the martial arts as well. For four hours after eight p.m., some 150 students gather at the Ustad Bahu Ram Gatka Akhara to pick nuances of an ancient tradition to discipline the mind, set them on a path of spiritual and physical prowess. Kewal Kumar Sethi, an instructor at the Ustad Bahu Ram Akhara, says, "The difference is clear. Outside a boy may fall into bad company and absorb many ills. Here, he meets a healthy surrounding in touch with spiritual prayer, exercise for the body, and good defence training. It is a route for them to escape the clutches of narcotics. And, we try to instill in them a focus on physical and mental health and discipline." "We give these children weapons training to keep their bodies and minds strong. And they are given the power of self-defence in case of attack," says Rajneesh Lal, another instructor.

          Traditional Hindu and Sikh martial arts are amalgamated here towards inculcating skills for self-defence for community service, and a mindset centering around confidence in the self. During training here, several of the boys have even been assigned to controlling crowds and maintaining calm in times of civil crisis. And they are spurred by the pride of doing something mastered by godly figures down centuries. "Many of our mythological holy figures - Lord Hanuman, Lord Rama, Baba Deep Singh and others have used weapons of physical combat. We pledge to quit drugs and follow this path. What we learn is very good for us," says Shyam Saran, one of the students. Gurjinder Vij, another trainee feels, "All the people who come here, as much as 70 - 80 years old, do not wear spectacles. This game strengthens the eyes too. You see people going to gyms or turning to performance-enhancing drugs and so on. But they age fast. But here, even some of the older guys are physically and mentally strong. I think this is the best sport for fitness, above all others." May 15, 2004