A PIECE OF MINE documentary video project Germany – India – Indonesia, 2018/2019
"It gives you the feeling of royalty-" Gurpreet Saini on the Sikh Turban
The Turban is the one thing that identifies a Sikh more than any other symbol of their faith. An edict handed down in 1699 by the 10th Sikh Guru - Gobind Singh – require Sikhs not to cut their hair. The turban, part of the Bana or military uniform at that time, was used to keep and protect a Sikhs hair. However in line with its military tradition, it’s something that has always been a masculine symbol and almost exclusively worn by men and not women.
Gurpreet Saini, a young student from Chandigarh, who now lives in Berlin, reflected on his relationship with this daily used item and what meaning it transfers for him. Today, women in Judaism and Islam are finding new ways to combine their religious traditions with a modern lifestyle. Conflicts in male-dominated societies are not lacking; the limits of acceptability are always to be renegotiated. In the project ‘A piece of mine’ personal stories of people who decided to cover their head, mostly for religious reasons, are being documented. From Berlin to India and Indonesia, these men and women share their experience, their special relationship with this ‘piece of mine’, as well as stigmatism and discrimination that they had to experience due to their religious beliefs and clothing style. Whether rule-conforming Islam or cultural muslims, religion as a private matter or a headscarf as a sign of cultural self-determination - voices of all directions are heard in this documentation.
The questions that arise are: In what kind do religious beliefs interfere with social dresscodes? Which affect does it have on one’s personality? Expression of personal identity or religion imposed norm?
“People always respect a turban, and people are more motivated to wear a turban, because they also want to have the same respect what we’re getting.”
'You are just one walking down the street, and people are looking like you were an alien.' (Gurpreet Saini on the Sikh turban) Berlin, October 2017