Humour
The Art of Tying a Turban
or, 52 Ways to Tie a Larh
by SIKHSUBCULTURE
Wearing a Puggri ("Puggh") is nothing if it isn't an art form.
Everyday, millions of people get up earlier than everyone else to put on their puggh (not to mention groom their dhaaris - beards). For the past three hundred odd years, the puggri has adapted and changed to fit the style of the day as well as to meet many practical needs of Sardars.
For the young Sikh boy or girl considering what style they want to adopt, there are now a plethora of choices available.
Personally, I find the choice of which puggh-style to wear a very intimate and personal one.
Most Sikhs wear their puggh every day of their life and over time it becomes a part of them. Your friends, family and colleagues start to identify you with your puggh style and it becomes inextricably part of your personality; as much as your height, weight and looks.
To help those young Sikhs who are trying to figure out what is right for them or even for someone who has just lost their way, I have made a comprehensive list of puggri styles. Like anything else, the list is probably not complete; I'm sure there is someone out there with a puggh style that the world hasn't seen yet.
We can't wait to see it either.
Enjoy:
Visor - Livin' south of the equator? Can't stand the sun? Play a lot of golf?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may want to go with the Visor Puggh.
The Visor is usually a double puggh that is angled towards the ground to give you some shade. While not the most stylish choice, it provides a much needed service for those who need it.
Business - This is one of the most common puggh styles, especially among those in business or finance. Usually a single, the Business Puggh is small, fairly neat and simple. Good enough to make someone look respectable, but small enough not to draw too much attention to. It's usually just enough cloth to cover the joora (hair top-knot) and is generally black or navy blue.
Nihang - no description necessary.
Shark Fin - Another practical puggh, the Shark Fin can be identified by a sharp point at the top (think Empire State Building). For those living in rough areas, the 'Fin can double as a weapon. This style is not recommended for beginners.
Khalistani - We have all seen this one before. A Khanda in the middle, maybe some kirpans in the outlying regions, usually blue and orange or blue and yellow.
It can most aptly be characterized as a practical Nihang Pugh. Like the Nihang, this is more than just a puggh, it is a lifestyle choice.
Ear Muffs - This is the puggh that covers up the whole ear. While not a terribly popular style these days, some people find it oddly comfortable. It is, for obvious reasons, more popular in the wintertime.
Jatt - (meaning "peasant," not a caste. Remember, we are Sikhs, not desis, for heaven's sake!). a.k.a. The Pleasant Peasant. Sometimes gets confused with the Visor Puggh, but it is its own style completely. For a while, it was the most common puggh and probably one of the original styles. It fell off in popularity during the nineties when teenagers were experimenting with "The Pretty Boy," "Business," and "The Khalistani."
To the delight of many, the Jatt is making a strong comeback in recent years.
The Lasso, a.k.a. The Cowboy, a.k.a. The Quickie - Have you ever seen a cowboy lasso a calf and quickly tie it up? Imagine that, but the cow is your head and you are the cowboy. This puggh is one that is put together in under 30 seconds.
Starch - Mainly seen in the older crowd, this is another puggh of convenience. In the same way that we starch our shirts, people starch their pugghs. Over time, the starch sets in and it starts to form a hat-like structure.
The Two-Face - As I said earlier, tying a puggh is an art form, especially if you're intent on getting clean larhs (layers). Getting the right side to look nice can be particularly tricky. This leaves the lazy ones having one side neat and the other ... well, not so neat.
The Cover Up - The Cover Up was designed as a solution for those suffering from a Two-Face Puggh. The Cover Up is when you cover one side of your puggh with one huge sheet of a larh in order to avoid having one clean side and one messy side. This is a clever way to give the illusion of neatness.
The Pretty Boy - We all know this one. There is always that guy who spends every waking moment of his life in front of a mirror perfecting his puggh. Perfect shape, extremely neat, no lint and probably color-coordinated. In the time it takes for him to do his puggh, I have vacuumed the floors, done my taxes and solved the world hunger crisis.
Female Puggh - Not to be confused with a keski, the puggh that women most commonly wear is distinct. While it is the shape of a keski, it is usually thicker and neater and, in the case of "American" Sikhs, almost always white. Also, this puggh is most commonly used with women who have good bone structure.
Big Boi - Not to be confused with the Nihang Puggh, the Big Boi is a well tied puggh on par with The Pretty Boy, but double the size.
What can I say ... some people just think bigger is better. Let's just hope they're not over-compensating for something.
African Style - Not sure what the origins of this puggh are, but it is very distinct from the other styles above. The African Puggh starts by folding the puggh the same way you would fold a blanket (flat), as opposed to doing a traditional pooni (diagonal stretch). This gives a very slim, layered effect (think inverted professional bicycle helmet).
Joora Pugh, a.k.a. The Sunrise - Have you ever watched the sun rise? Well, imagine that the horizon is your puggh and your joora is the sun. With most people, you just see the horizon, but with this puggh you see the whole sun.
Keski - While the keski has gotten a bad (w)rap these days (google image search: political activist), it's actually quite a stylish puggh and does wonders for your ears. It's also great for sports and outdoor activities. When the tensions in the Middle East ease up a bit, I'm sure we will see a re-emergence of the Keski.
The Bicky - Well, this isn't really a style per se, but more of a color choice. We're talking polka dots, stripes, various patterns and sometimes glitter. These aren't for the faint of heart, but they do make a statement. Named after the famous "turban guy" in Hollywood.
[Adapted from the original by www.sikhsubculture.com]
March 11, 2009
Conversation about this article
1: Harinder (Bangalore, India), March 11, 2009, 2:46 PM.
This is really fascinating. As an aside, I suggest you may wish to seriously classify the Sikh turban-styles on the basis of: 1) Geography/nationality; e.g., British and Malaysian styles are very different from the rest. 2) Time; i.e., how turbans have changed over time. 3) Famous Sikh personalities and their turbans. And display them online on your site.
2: Ibadat Gill (Irvine, California, U.S.A.), March 11, 2009, 10:08 PM.
I am a 29-year old Sikh-American and have worn a puggh all my life. My puggh-style is similar to singer Jassi Singh Sidhu's. I guess it's a British adaptation of the "African" style mentioned above. I like it because it is conducive to a corporate environment, without looking like I am flying to the moon. I used to trim my daarhi, but started keeping it unshorn a couple of years ago. It was hard to find a product that would properly groom my daarhi without flaking. My dad gave me the traditional "fixo". I tried the blue and the pink fixo bottles, but my dhaari still flaked - and I felt it got loose by the end of the day. It was terrible at work because it looked like I had dandruff problems. Finally, I found this gel in a Newport beach salon called "California KMS". This product is awesome. Now I can set my daarhi, and not worry about it flaking. It holds really well too. Oh yeah, I found nylon "thathas" as opposed to cotton ones help the daarhi to set better also. Puggh styles are a phenomenon. In Pakistan today, many village elders still wear dastaars with the big "larh" that comes out of the top. In Narowal (West Punjab) the Sialkoti style puggh is still popular among villagers. This style has two "larhs" coming out from either side. Here is a popular style of turban that is still worn in Rawalpindi, Jhelum, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sialkot, and Lahore areas: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFaFhUUz8yQ.
3: Satinder Singh Sadhar (New Jersey, U.S.A.), March 11, 2009, 10:47 PM.
Cool article. Times perfectly with my question that was printed in this month's issue of GQ, pg 41.
4: Raj (Canada), March 11, 2009, 10:57 PM.
Aha ... you forgot my style - "Patiala Shahi"!
5: Ibadat Gill (Irvine, California, U.S.A.), March 12, 2009, 12:22 PM.
Satinder Veer ji, just wanted to thank you for your question to GQ's Style Guy (Glenn O'Brien) in the Feb 2009 issue. I've been reading GQ for many years and was pleasantly shocked to see the Sikh Turban discussed in one of the top fashion magazines in the world. GQ Style Guy's response to your question was witty, humorous, yet intelligent and well-informed. Hope it solved your sartorial conundrums!
6: Mai Harinder Kaur (U.S.A.), March 12, 2009, 1:58 PM.
This is great. I have always thought the dastaar, all right, puggri, should have an element of joy, dare I say, fun! to it. My only complaint here is, why not more pictures? There's plenty of room for them. [Editor: Good suggestion. We will do a full photo exhibit in a few weeks.]
7: Gurbux Singh (Chatsworth, California, U.S.A.), March 12, 2009, 2:27 PM.
Very informative and since one of our readers mentioned Fixo problems, I think we should have people let us know what works best for fixing our daarhi. It could be store-bought gels or home made concoctions. In Burma, where I grew up, we made it with Gum Acacia and glycerin and it also flaked badly. My son and I now use Dep Sport Marathon Hold #11 gel and it is quite good. Would never use Fixo again. Help us Singhs out and a lot of us will thank you and wear dark colors with confidence and not worry about flaking beards.
8: Harman Singh (Philadelphia), March 12, 2009, 2:45 PM.
I agree with Ibadat above. Since I have started tying my beard, I have experimented with numerous gel brands, so much so that my bathroom looks like a Walgreen aisle. Either the gels are too flaky, or with some extreme hold versions, too rigid and uncomfortable. Recently, I have been trying DEP Sport #11. It does an ok job. I am definitely going to try out this KMS brand. Anyone else have any ideas about what has worked best for them?
9: Ibadat Gill (Irvine, California, U.S.A.), March 12, 2009, 4:08 PM.
To my Sikh brothers with daarhi issues, these are the two products that have worked for me: 1) KMS California, "Hairstay Styling Gel". (If this works for you I would recommend buying the bigger 750 ml bottle, but buy the smaller tube first to try it out.) This product has minimal flaking and a firm hold that will last all day. A very important tip about flaking is to apply the gel when you get out of the shower and your daarhi is still slightly wet. This will reduce flaking immensely. The 750ml bottle can be purchased at most salons or beauty supply stores. My wife gets mine from a local beauty supply store for $15.99 - which is a great price. The second product I recommend is Pantene Pro-V's "TEXTURE" hairspray - ultra hold. This should be used as a finishing product if your dhaari is slightly heavier. (I used to trim mine, so it's pretty heavy now. I need this to secure the bottom part.) After setting my beard, I wear a "thatha" for about 20 minutes, while occasionally blow-drying my beard. Be careful not to blow-dry too close to your face. The Sikh grooming process is truly unique. After an initial period of extreme inconvenience and "bad daaarhi days", I really feel its well worth all the effort now. Hope this helps.
10: Bavan (U.S.A.), March 17, 2009, 7:43 AM.
Awesome. High-Five for the 'Pretty Boy' style!
11: Jasleen Kaur (U.S.A.), December 15, 2009, 8:59 PM.
Very entertaining. for those worried about fixxo and flaking beards, I'll tell you what I told my husband when we got married. Let it flow! Let your daarrhi go free! Prakash is the best way to wear it! But if you must dress it up, a dab of fixxo and a small rubber band is the way to go. Soft, no flakes, and doesn't have that crispy fixxo look.
12: Skydip Singh (Ipoh, Malaysia), May 29, 2010, 12:04 PM.
Yeah, I can see the difference.