My Hypocritical stance on bearskin helmets and tying of beards

As a practising Sikh, I did not have to wear a helmet over my turban during national service. I do not wear a helmet when I ride my friend’s bike.

 

So many people might assume that I would defend the right of a fellow Sikh in the UK to wear a turban instead of a Bear Skin hat when doing some parade in the British Army for the Queen of England. I do not.

 

Before I make my case, I would like to list the reason why Sikhs would not wear bear skin hats or helmets in Army and for motorcycles. It is not because Sikhs cannot do so. A Bear Skin hat can easily cover a Sikh’s turban. Sikhs in Guru Gobind Singh Ji (Our Tenth Master) time wore special helmets. And a helmet for Sikhs can be easily made for motorcycles.

 

But why do these Sikhs not want to wear helmets or any other thing on their head other than a turban. The reason is fear. If people start encroaching on Sikhs imagery with a turban, what else can they go after? Some feel that if you make Sikhs wear helmets today, will Sikhs be forced to wear a beret tomorrow which definitely would not cover a Sikhs hair?

 

I do get why they do it. In fact, I would use this sentiment in a similar manner in the second part of this blog-piece. But when it comes to this helmet philosophy I disagree.

 

Here is why. Sikhs are required to keep their hair uncut. Sikhs need to keep this hair covered. On these principles we should not compromise. Other than that, I feel we should be able to decide and apply discretion. Helmets are not meant to enslave a society, it is meant to save lives. Guru Gobind Singh Ji understood it, and had it in his army.

 

And at times, as long as we keep our hair covered and uncut, we should be able to do our jobs. What is wrong in wearing a bear skin hat over a Patka? Nothing! Wearing a bear skin hat in the parade would not make the soldier less a Sikh or more. It just means that that Sikh is doing his or her job.

 

My second stab at hypocrisy in this article is when I use the same sentiment on why Sikhs feel not the need to use helmets on motorcycles; on why Sikhs should not tie their beards. Many of my family and friends think that my reason for doing so is religious, but it is actually not.

 

Like what we do for our hair, practising Sikh men do not trim our beards or shave. However, it is a common practise for many Sikh men to tie their beards in a knot, gel the sides and put a net over it and make it look as small as possible and in their words, “making it look neat and clean.”

 

My first problem is with the phrase “making it look neat and clean.” Why, a Sikh who leaves their open their beard is not? If it is so simple in making a knot and putting some net over it was so clean and tidy, do these people not think that our Gurus would have come up with that idea?

 

Hygiene was an integral part of the Khalsa code. You wake up, you bathe first then you pray. Your body is your first place of worship you got to keep it clean and neat. And you think that our Sikhs then would not have made it a requirement if having a beard open if it was neat and tidy? Please!

 

Secondly, it is also psychological. If we are to allow someone to say that having a beard open is untidy, are we also opening up to other interpretation. A family member once told me that he cuts his beard having gel on your shirt would make it look untidy. There are entire industries where Sikhs cannot be put forward because they have turbans on their head, at times with the boss being practising Sikhs themselves. Where does the buck stop?

 

We should only tie our beards when we have to. If you are a surgeon, please tie your beard. If we need to tie our beards when handling radioactive material, we should. If you are having brain cancer and need surgery, please shave your head.

 

I have also felt the same way about people tanning or bleaching their skin. Black women should not be wearing weaves for work. It is not what on your head, its what in it that matters.