Above: Everette Nichols tries out the turban for the first time. Below: Erin O'Connor and Kristen Schotts speak at Turban Night.
People
Sikhism 101: Turban Night
At Michigan State University
by KELLIE ROWE
For political science sophomore Abby Craft, wearing a turban on Wednesday evening - January 18, 2012 - was a first.
“I never thought I’d be wearing a turban,” she said after wrapping pink fabric around her head.
Craft donned a turban for the first time during a demonstration at the MSU Sikh Student Association ("SSA") event - Sikhism 101: Turban Night at Snyder and Phillips Halls (Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, U.S.A.)
More than a dozen students attended the event.
Nutritional sciences and communication senior Manisha Singh, President of SSA, said the group’s goal was to bring cultural awareness of Sikhism to campus and dispel any misconceptions about the faith.
Sikhism is the fifth largest religions in the world - larger than, for example, the Jewish community - with adherents in every part of the globe.
“A lot of people don’t know about it, forgot about or got it mixed in with other religions [from India],” Manisha said. “It’s important to show the diversity on campus.”
She said because followers of the Sikh religion do not cut their hair, many wear turbans. With turbans holding symbolic importance in the religion, the group wanted to give students a chance to try one on themselves.
During the event, members of SSA taught the students how to tie and wear a turban, and students participated in a discussion about what it means to be Sikh, lead by the “MSU Interfaith Council”, a student group that promotes cultural diversity and different perspectives.
“Traditionally, (Turban Night) has been specifically about turbans, but we’re helping to really bring a stronger element of dialogue,” said interdisciplinary humanities senior Rebecca Farnum, co-chair of the council.
Through a question and answer session, the students discussed why Sikhs wear turbans, what customs and traditions come with the religion and the differences between Sikhism and other faiths.
Farnum said she hopes the discussion gave students an outlet to ask questions they might not feel comfortable asking in other spaces.
“We’re interested about conversations and what’s on students’ minds,” she said.
Human biology junior Roshan Jain said he came to the event to show his support for the Sikh-American students.
“The world is becoming more globalized, so it’s important for people to learn about other [faiths and cultures],” he said. “We should learn to tolerate and work with each other.”
With several racially targeted incidents occurring on campus last semester, Manisha said holding events such as Sikhism 101: Turban Night can help spread understanding.
“Those kinds of things occur because students are not culturally aware of the beliefs that other students have,” she said.
“I hope to encourage them to be more understanding of the diversity on campus.”
[Courtesy: The State News. Edited for sikhchic.com]
January 21, 2012
Conversation about this article
1: Baldev Singh (Bradford, United Kingdom), January 22, 2012, 6:37 AM.
I remember reading once, and I have often shared it with Americans I meet, that Sikhs have sometimes been called the 'Texans of the East' ... because they are 'bigger and better!'