The Kara

[Temurzai]

*to the moderators: i wasnt sure if this should go in the bhangra main discussion threads or offtopic, so i just decided to put it here*
*also, this is basically one of my old posts on POL from back in like 2006 or something, so im basically going to copy and paste from there....there was a ridiculously interesting string of replies to this topic when i posted it on pol, im posting it here since there are also new people here who i thought could share their views on the topic as well*

The Kara
Posted by Taiym?r on July 31, 2006
Total Posts: 788
Joined: 06/10/2006

question,...and this was sort of brought up in the religions forum in the past but i wanted to bring it up in here.

now i dont claim to know all that much about Sikhism, but i do know that the kara is obviously one of the 5 K`s of sikhism, and obviously when one sees someone else wearing a kara u can pretty much safely assume with about 95% confidence that this individual is Sikh. but i know of some hindus and muslims that also wear the kara or some sort of bangle in general, and this tends to cause a ruckus with some sikhs out there. and in the circuit, i know of hindu and muslim and even atheist and christian dancers and whoever else who wear the kara as part of the costume and look for their performances. and i think thats fine, because the bangle has been a part of punjabi culture for years and years before sikhism arose. at least thats what i have been told. do sikhs on the circuit get mad at nonsikhs on the circuit who wear the kara? if so, should they?

basically, do yall think its ok for teams to wear it as part of the vardiyan? i mean we all wear paggs on stage, regardless of race religion or creed, right?

Moderator's Note: We can change the title to include "The Kara and its relation to Bhangra", if you would like it more exposed to teams for discussion. Just let us know whatever you want to do. Thanks for the note!

 

[Jeeti]

Theres something like this mentioned in another thread...its just not directly related to bhangra...

In my opinion...no.. a Kara should not be worn along with the vardiyan...although I guess you could make an argument that since phaggs are worn...

It all depends on the PURPOSE of the kara...and this was the basis for the other thread...if you are wearing it as a fashion statement or for your vardiyan to look more "authentic"...that will offend many Sikhs...as the Kara is supposed to have religious meaning. This is semantics but the "Phag" is different because its not one of the 5 K's...they kind of go hand in hand though because if you keep your hair (one of the 5 k's) then you are supposed to wear a Pagg...but wearing a Phaggri does not directly imply that you are Sikh...there are many other cultures and which wear Paggs...(For those of you that are a bit more versed in the religion: Is this a fair leap? ) This is the only justification I can find for why we wear Paggs...

Since the Kara is directly one of the 5 K's and is directly associated to the religion and directly cited by the religion as one of the 5 K's...it has a very specific religious meaning...therefore it should not worn as part of the vardiyan.

You got me though Tai...why do we wear Phags if theres such a strong religious association to it? (my best and only explanation is the one above..otherwise I'm lost)....

Help someeebody....didnt mean to offend...I know that logic with the Paggs is REALLY SHAKY. I'd love to hear more from someone that knows more (im sure much more) than me.

 

[Mukandpuria]

just because Kara has to do with religion doesn't meant it should be banned..by saying this you are basically stripping your religion to dance?...I look at it the other way...some many dancers belong to different religions...and i think they should be able to represent their religion while dancing and not have to separate themselves from their religion just to do bhangra.

I wear a Kara, but not for fashion. In fact I wear it for what it stands for and more..to protect and to be careful of what sins you do becuase the kara is also suppose to be a reminder to think twice about your actions...I try my best to follow that but I am human and know I do mess up...On top of that I wear it for support. Support the Sikh Religion. I wear it for all the Sadars who have to wear a pugg and stand out in the crowed to let them know, yea if someone touches you or mocks you for you pugg I have your back......I also wear to tell the world that Punjabi are not dumb....Music and videos have given Punjabi's the name that we are nothing but abusive alcoholics and should only be running small stores. When i go to Consulting conferences people ask me about it and go wow your the first Punjabi I see in with in this Firm...In a sense letting them know Punjabi have more to offer than just bhangra and agricultures...There are numerous personal reasons why I wear the kara but fashion is not amongst them.

 

[Jeeti]

just because Kara has to do with religion doesn't meant it should be banned..by saying this you are basically stripping your religion to dance?...I look at it the other way...some many dancers belong to different religions...and i think they should be able to represent their religion while dancing and not have to separate themselves from their religion just to do bhangra.

I wear a Kara, but not for fashion. In fact I wear it for what it stands for and more..to protect and to be careful of what sins you do becuase the kara is also suppose to be a reminder to think twice about your actions...I try my best to follow that but I am human and know I do mess up...On top of that I wear it for support. Support the Sikh Religion. I wear it for all the Sadars who have to wear a pugg and stand out in the crowed to let them know, yea if someone touches you or mocks you for you pugg I have your back......I also wear to tell the world that Punjabi are not dumb....Music and videos have given Punjabi's the name that we are nothing but abusive alcoholics and should only be running small stores. When i go to Consulting conferences people ask me about it and go wow your the first Punjabi I see in with in this Firm...In a sense letting them know Punjabi have more to offer than just bhangra and agricultures...There are numerous personal reasons why I wear the kara but fashion is not amongst them.

Abhi if you read the previous thread on this matter, I am one of the people that very blatantly argues for what you just said...YOU ARE DOING IT WITH GOOD INTENTIONS, and for reasons within yourself which is where faith resides, and that is fine, which is why my first statement after saying no...was that it all depends on the PURPOSE...theres no way to tell any one no i don't think you should wear it...but if you put a Kara on right before you go stage as part of your Vardiyan (which was what taymur was asking)...then this is wrong...and offensive to anyone that wears the Kara for goood, true reasons.

I just realized something after I got done writing that, for people that do keep their hair and keep Paggs on a regular basis...does the fact that we tie one right before we go on stage offend anyone? Thats what is eluding me here...is EXACTLY the significance of a Pagg? I understand that it is very closely to related to Keski, but I'm lost from theree...

Summy, lets hear it bro.

 

[Mukandpuria]

just because Kara has to do with religion doesn't meant it should be banned..by saying this you are basically stripping your religion to dance?...I look at it the other way...some many dancers belong to different religions...and i think they should be able to represent their religion while dancing and not have to separate themselves from their religion just to do bhangra.

I wear a Kara, but not for fashion. In fact I wear it for what it stands for and more..to protect and to be careful of what sins you do becuase the kara is also suppose to be a reminder to think twice about your actions...I try my best to follow that but I am human and know I do mess up...On top of that I wear it for support. Support the Sikh Religion. I wear it for all the Sadars who have to wear a pugg and stand out in the crowed to let them know, yea if someone touches you or mocks you for you pugg I have your back......I also wear to tell the world that Punjabi are not dumb....Music and videos have given Punjabi's the name that we are nothing but abusive alcoholics and should only be running small stores. When i go to Consulting conferences people ask me about it and go wow your the first Punjabi I see in with in this Firm...In a sense letting them know Punjabi have more to offer than just bhangra and agricultures...There are numerous personal reasons why I wear the kara but fashion is not amongst them.

Abhi if you read the previous thread on this matter, I am one of the people that very blatantly argues for what you just said...YOU ARE DOING IT WITH GOOD INTENTIONS, and for reasons within yourself which is where faith resides, and that is fine, which is why my first statement after saying no...was that it all depends on the PURPOSE...theres no way to tell any one no i don't think you should wear it...but if you put a Kara on right before you go stage as part of your Vardiyan (which was what taymur was asking)...then this is wrong...and offensive to anyone that wears the Kara for goood, true reasons.

I just realized something after I got done writing that, for people that do keep their hair and keep Paggs on a regular basis...does the fact that we tie one right before we go on stage offend anyone? Thats what is eluding me here...is EXACTLY the significance of a Pagg? I understand that it is very closely to related to Keski, but I'm lost from theree...

Summy, lets hear it bro.

my bad read it the wrong way, and i wasn't trying to attack, not sure if i came off like that

 

[pluthra]

i personally dont think u shud wear it to just add to the vaardiyan...that has no logic behind it in any sense especially if u kno the meaning behind it

but i think wearin a pagg is different than wearin a kaara.....i see wearing a pagg....well i see wearing the chunnis over our heads as a sign of respect to the art u are performing......i dont kno how to explain this concept.....but ok when u go to the gurdwara u cover ur head (if its not covered u freak out..well i do)....its a sign of respect.....so when ur presenting ur culture on stage u again cover ur head w/a pagg or chunni and it kinda adds that ur humble bout wat u do.....it shows that yes i have this skill but im not going to go on stage and be cocky instead im going to respect the art for wat it is (does this make any sense b/c my wording is all wrong)

-but wearing a kaara w/ur outfit is not showin respect unless you are sikh....but i seriously think we're old enough to understand the significance of a kaara and why it is worn that we will not think of it as an accessory

 

[Varun]

this is off topic a bit, but do most people see the military genius behind Guru Gobind Singh ji in the 5 Ks? I know it no longer holds the same meaning back then, and now is strictly relgious, but back then when the Khalsa Panth was meant to be a force and army to protect and serve, the 5Ks have more sense militarily, then just spiritually. Kesh and use of the Last name Singh for all would emphasize uniformity, important for an army. Kirpan...weapon to protect, thats obvious. Kara. Kara's original purpose is to protect your hand from getting chopped off by a sword. The real karas back then were huge and made of strong steel, just like warriors had worn in Punjab for centuries before since the Mahabharat. There are other things that could be mentioned but I think Guruji was definitely a genius and his human-side shows alot about how he was a master of psychology, rallying people, and leadership. Then of course theres the spiritual, guru side which is a whole different story and show different traits of the great man.

 

[rajkaran]

Yup, i remember this being brought up before and it got me thinking...

As a sikh myself, I used to think that Kara's were strictly a Sikh thing, but then got to realize and respect others who understood the significance of the kara. It has most definitely been adopted into many Punjabi families as a Punjabi cultural thing, signifying many things. In fact, I grew up with many Sindhis over here who wear karas. As for the paghs- I agree with Parul and Jeeti in that it has to do with respect and culture rather than religion...I also think that the decorative paghs we use were meant for these types of celebratory/joyous occasions, so why not wear it?


kinda related to the original topic-

I see many people (including myself) often forget the meaning of the kara and tend to switch between styles of karas (thick, thin, worded, ridged)...I've even seen some people who have gold or silver karas (however, some people have these so as to avoid skin irritation by the cheap metal karas are often made out of)...so in that sense the kara has turned into a fashion trend. Now i try to stick to one style and only change it when it gets old or starts irritating my skin.

 

[mafzal]

Our fourth ASD girl got lost somewhere on BTF but she wears a kara and she is Sindhi, Hindu, and her and her brother both wear the kara.

Paggs weren't those worn before Sikhism? I know my dad is Pakistani Muslim but he knew all the terminology of pagg, turla, etc. just because he remembered when he was little whenever somebody went to court or to the city they would put on a nice suit and tie a full pagg. The pagg was used to show respect and to be formal. No man would go somewhere important without wearing a pagg.

 

[HarmanSingh]

I think Jeeti explained it nicely.

My question is, why bother to wear the Kara if you don't already wear one anyway? I find it disrespectful that people would wear one of the Panj Kakkar as a fashion statement and simply take it on and off as if it a watch. The Karra has immense importance to a Gursikh and represents much of what Sikhi stands for. So if a team is just taking Karras on and off, throwing them around like nothing, and generally disrespecting them, then no, obviously I would rather they not wear it. It is not like anyone in the audience notices if you are wearing a Karra anyway. Seems like there is no purpose.

In fact, I would rather a person wearing a Karra to signify their "respect" for Sikhi not wear a Karra if they are out there drinking, spilling alcohol all over their Karra, stealing, disrespecting people, or generally behaving in opposition to the Rehit Maryada. If the Karra has cultural significance to a person, and Sikhi has no influence on why they wear it, I guess that is something else completely.

In response to Mariam, yes Pughs were worn long before Sikhi. They were worn in ancient India, amongst the Persians, Arabs wore them in the Prophet Mohammad's time and even were worn in the Middle Ages in Europe. However, in none of these places were Pughs worn for religious significance. They were all cultural. Sikhi was the first to make the Pugh a religious article of faith and make it a part of the Sikh lifestyle.