“Why blend in when you were born to stand out?”
Like so many Sikhs and friends of Sikhs, I was in Yuba City that past weekend for what is the closest thing to a “jor mela” that America has to offer. 
Lot of colorful Sikhs, lost of seva, and lots of food, lots of people selling lots of things.
One of the things that I think stood out among the many “lots” and was that there were lots of Sikh t-shirts. People were wearing anything from the “300 Saal Guru De Naal” to t-shirts with famous Sikhs to the Sikh T’s that also happened to say “Happy Birthday Jesse.” Anyhow, the point is that there was a large variety of different t-shirts and this is cool because it show a sense of comfort and identity.
Recently, I read an article discussing how a group of four Sikh teenagers on the East Coast started a line of t-shirts with inside jokes for Punjabi Sikhs. The group, branded Turbaninc, says that their motto is:
Why blend in when you were born to stand out?
Wise words. A reporter interviewing then noted that:
The point of the whole endeavor…is to start conversations. The most common misconception about Sikhs is that they are Muslims and the second is that they are Hindus. The Turban Inc crew would like to distinguish themselves and educate passers-by.
This endeavor isn’t something new of course – not long ago Roots Gear began making similarly motivated identity merchandise – but the fact that our generation (of younger diasporic Sikhs) have begun expressing ourselves with this identity garb shows a level of comfort that the was not around 10 plus years ago.
Its refreshing.
14 Responses to ““Why blend in when you were born to stand out?””
another up and coming site with innovative t-shirt designs:
http://www.panjabmall.com
another up and coming site with innovative t-shirt designs:
http://www.panjabmall.com
[…] Nagar Keertan in Yuba City, California there was “Yes on Prop. 8” propaganda along with the really interesting T-shirts. Thus, I think religion is an important part of the discussion on Prop. 8 because there is a reason […]
Shouldn't the t-shirt read "at the [IMAGE] above airports?"
Shouldn’t the t-shirt read “at the [IMAGE] above airports?”
Another great resource for punjabi t-shirts is at TDjunkie.com
Another great resource for punjabi t-shirts is at TDjunkie.com
TDjunkie has more variety, but rootsgear has better designs IMHO
TDjunkie has more variety, but rootsgear has better designs IMHO
[…] probably heard the saying, “Why blend in when you were born to stand out” and it rings true for many minority groups. Whether we want to admit this or not, many […]
Roots Gear is actually one of the companies I truly admire!
Roots Gear is actually one of the companies I truly admire!
There are many people in the world who use turban as they think that it’s the main things which show its personality. Many people make use of http://www.successfulblogging.com/blog-writing-ho… to present their culture and an identity. Some people now can use turban and other things in their country.
I want to add another great site to encourage Sikh youth its www. sikhbeard.com and its international branch https://sikhbeard.com.au/ . They got awesome products punjabi & Sikh T-Shirts, Sweaters, Hoodies, Sweatshirts, and more online