Turban Pride
Growing up in Queens, New York, Jagmeet Sethi faced prejudice in school and elsewhere, especially after 9/11, when Sikhs were mistaken for Muslims and victimized in the backlash. Even so, Sethi did not shy away from his religion. Not only did he wear a turban, he also designed and wore T-shirts with messages such as “I heart Turbans.”
“I wanted to create something that would invite kids to start a discussion about my religion with me,” Sethi, 22, told the Times of India. He and his two partners, Jasjeet Singh and Karandeep Singh, now sell a variety of Sikh- and Punjabi-pride items through their Connecticut-based company TurbanInc (www.TurbanInc.com).
Among the T-shirt messages:
“Why blend in when you were born to stand out?”
“I got 99 problems, but bhangra ain’t one.”
“Don’t you wish your girl was Punjabi like me?”
“Have a Sikh life.”
“Your mom makes the best roti.”
Compiled and partly written by Indian humorist MELVIN DURAI, author of the novel Bala Takes the Plunge.
[Comments? Contributions? Please email us at melvin@melvindurai.com. We welcome jokes, quotes, online clips, and more.]
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