Above: Sonia Dhillon
Current Events
The Turban Project in Paris, France
YUDHVIR RANA
What could be seen as a major effort to restore turban pride in France, a Sikh woman running an NGO in France has announced plans to hold a function in Paris to make French nationals, especially the younger generation, aware about the role and sacrifices made by turbaned Sikh soldiers in France's freedom struggles.
"To commemorate the World War I centennial, we are going to hold a function in Paris to eulogize the role of Sikh soldiers who had played a pivotal role during World War I,” said Sonia Dhillon, president of The Dhillon Marty Foundation, on Saturday, October 4, 2014.
She said that the foundation had also constituted a team that would visit Punjab to trace the roots of the forgotten heroes of France and honour their relatives.
"We are of the view that French nationals need to know the contribution of Sikhs to the freedom they enjoy now," she said, adding that the more they get to know about those brave soldiers, the better it would be for them to understand the Sikh turban.
French national Pierre Gourmet who is associated with the preparations of the forthcoming project, said: "It's important to tell our youth about the contribution of men of diverse cultures and societies for the freedom of France and Sikhs hold a prominent place among others."
He said they would also invite Jean-Marie Lafont, author of, inter alia, the book, La presence francaise dans le royaume Sikh du Penjab 1822-1849, which documents the long interconnected history of the French and the Sikhs.
"Our effort will surely help to dispel myths about the turban worn by Sikhs," said Sonia adding that they would also give a power presentation on the Sikh turban, how it is worn and how it is different from other turbans.
In India, the French embassy is holding various functions to commemorate WW-I. "Indian soldiers came from all over India - it is true that a large group was coming from Punjab and constituted Sikhs - this creates a particular link between France and Punjab in history," said a spokesperson of the French embassy in Delhi.
The Ambassador of France, Francois Richier, said: "We want to honour the memory of the [Sikh and other Indian] soldiers who fought for France in World War I, and also spread knowledge of their engagement as widely as possible."
[Courtesy: The Times of India. Edited for sikhchic.com]
October 6, 2014
Conversation about this article
1: Kaala Singh (Punjab), October 06, 2014, 1:43 PM.
The Indian Hindu state classifies Sikhs as a sect of Hinduism. The Sikhs in 500 years of existence have contributed more to the world than the Hindus in thousands of years of miserable existence; the latter should themselves be able to see the obvious differences between Sikhs and them.
2: Baldev Singh (Bradford, United Kingdom), October 06, 2014, 7:04 PM.
This is long overdue. Our failures are also attributable to the willingness on the part of many of us to be labelled 'Asians' or 'Indians', etc. However, this is a great project indeed.