Volume : IV, Issue : I, January - 2015

Fashion As Identity Architect: Sikhs In Perspective

Anupreet Bhalla Dugal, Suruchi Mittar

Abstract :

Sikhs were ‘formed’ as a clan of warriors in 16th century AD to stand up against the atrocities of the Mughal invaders. Today, India is a 67 year old democracy comprising 2% Sikhs in about a billion people (Singh, 1993). While

there are no invaders or tyrants in contemporary times, a young Sikh boy is still ought up revering the Sikh philosophy and upholding high
moral standards.
In olden days, Sikh warriors kept long uncut beards and wore turbans, allowing masses to easily identify them and call for help; to induce fear
amongst the invaders. This visual identity, even today is the key tenet of Sikhism. A modern day Sikh continues to retain the same sentiments
and principles of Sikhism. Young turban clad Sikh boys with beards often are a center of ridicule amongst their peer group. Too young to appreciate the moral profoundness of their roots, growing Sikh adherents struggle to manage the social, peer pressure of being visually different
and co-exist with the ‘metro sexual’ code of conduct. The above presents a modern day challenge for this community.
Most of the conflict and tension that the Sikh youth face today is based around the difficulty of trying to ‘fit in’. This concept of feeling wanted
and secure in your own clique appeals to most.

Keywords :

Article: Download PDF   DOI : 10.36106/ijsr  

Cite This Article:

Anupreet Bhalla Dugal, Suruchi Mittar Fashion As Identity Architect: Sikhs In Perspective International Journal of Scientific Research, Vol : 4, Issue : 1 January 2015


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