A "Nihang", or a Sikh warrior, stands in a community kitchen during the Holla Mohalla festival
IN PHOTO: A "Nihang", or a Sikh warrior, stands in a community kitchen during the Holla Mohalla festival in Anandpur Sahib in the northern Indian state of Punjab March 6, 2015. "Hola Mohalla", or the festival of Nihangs, is celebrated during the festival of Holi, marking the congregation of Sikh devotees from all over the country. REUTERS/Ajay Verma

Toronto's Sikh Youth Federation celebrated an event called "Turban Up" in a bid to spread greater awareness about Sikhism and also to remove some myths about people who wore turbans. Almost 10000 metres of fabric rolled in to mark the event.

An organiser of the event is a 24-year-old law student at the University of Windsor, Gurjiwan Singh. He said, “About four years ago, an event like this, much smaller, was put on at the University of Waterloo. We wanted to take it to the next level. What better place than Dundas Square (it’s the second year the event has been held here). It’s about breaking stereotypes, breaking barriers.”

Downtown Toronto looked glorious on Saturday emanating radiant colours exuding brilliance. Inside Dundas Square, all and sundry from all walks of life and of every hue and stripe strolled in freshly tied turbans of beautiful shades like powder blue, brilliant pinks and deep purples among other vibrant colours.

People thronged Dundas Square and watched live performances of traditional Sikh swordsmanship, listened to music and ate free meals — the mandatory Sikh “langar” served to all in the community.

The turbans are conspicuously worn in parts of Asia and Africa and have been so over centuries. However, in Canada they are linked most commonly with the Sikh community and now also with certain segments of the Muslim community. For some, even before our post-9/11 world, turbans symbolised a cultural divide.

“How do I look?” shouts Kim Kraemer, visiting from Stratford for a late Mother’s Day celebration with a group of women. “Fantastic,” one of them yells back. She had a baby blue turban tied on her head by one of the 110 volunteers. And she was elated as it was the exact shade of Kraemer’s necklace. “That’s why I picked it,” she remarked.

Meanwhile a young Sikh named Haman Singh hailing from India earned laurels from across the world for removing his turban to help an accident victim who was a grievously wounded child. He was not at all reluctant to break religious protocol to come to the child's aid in New Zealand's Auckland city.

The writer can be contacted at ritambanati@yahoo.com

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