micropolisnyc:
And just like that, boy becomes man.
The dastaar bandi, or turban-tying ceremony, is something like the bar mitzvah of the Sikh world. But in the post-9/11 world, wearing a turban isn’t a casual decision: it’s resulted in Sikh men in America being harassed, assaulted, even killed.
Saihajdeep Singh, this 16 year old from Norwalk, Connecticut, has been called names like “Osama” before.
“In society, it’s a little hard, because people discriminate (against) you a little,” he said. “Once I befriended some of the friends in my school, they were like, okay. But before that, it was like, ‘Who’s this guy? Friggin terrorist.’”
To hear why Sikh men choose to wear turbans, and why some relate to the struggles of African Americans, listen to the full Micropolis story here.