Fittin In With The Turban - Photo courtsey Jolly Dutta

The land of hundred cultures that is India, is being buffeted by cultural changes. The land that gave the world Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism, Buddhism, is suddenly having to grapple with the new generation of kids embracing and emulating the “modern” and “sexxy” western mores in the guise of progress. Modern technology of high speed internet and satellite radio has brought the western culture right into the living room, and the impact is being felt by all traditional societies within India. Stories abound, of parents of “call center kids” being worried about what goes on at work during the night hours (most call centers operate 24/7, but many Indian call center kids work the night shift when it is day time in the west). But an even more dramatic, and perhaps more visible event in unfolding in the Sikh community of India.

Today’s NY times has a story about how the sikh kids are abandoning the traditional head-dress that has ideintified the Sikh people in India and the world over.

The dwindling numbers of turban wearers reflects less a loss of spirituality than encroaching Westernization and the accelerating pace of Indian life, Jaswinder Singh said.

While I agree that its hardly the loss of spirituality that is leading to this cultural change, the change is “saddening” neverthless because its another example of the homogenization of the world cultures under the pressures of globalization. Naturally, such a dramatic change should produce some contervailing forces, as has this situation - in the form of a “Turban Pride” movement.

Outside the Army of God offices, there is a turban clinic offering free classes for boys — one of a series of Sikh revival programs. Standing before full-length mirrors, an instructor shows teenage boys in baggy jeans and sports shoes how to twist the cloth into neatly layered folds on one side and smooth the pleats into sharp lines with a hooked silver pin, which is then concealed beneath the hair at the back.

A “Smart Turban 1.0” CD-ROM offers step-by-step instructions to create fashionable looks and guides new turban wearers on how to choose the most flattering style according to face shape.

To promote the turban as a fashion item, Sikh leaders have also started holding Mr. Singh International pageants. Contestants are judged by looks, moral character, personality, knowledge of Sikh history and principles, and turban tying skills. The sixth World Turban Day will be celebrated on April 13 with a march through Amritsar by thousands of turban-wearing Sikhs.

It remains to be seen how successful this movement is in turning around a cultural change that is sweeping the great nation of India.