A matter of pride
I salute young Canadian Punjabis who provide a reason for Indians to be proud of their roots, writes Sheeba Singh from Ottawa, Canada

Young Canadian Punjabi Jusreign, through his YouTube video — How to tie a pugh — teaches people the art of tying a turban

Belonging nowhere and everywhere at the same time encompasses greatness in itself. Not only has it been an opportunity to learn about other cultures, but it has become a great chance to educate people, as I travel more. A quick glance at a coloured person in a predominantly white community renders inquisition. It sparks the curiosity, and tingles the mind. The question "Where are you from?" can’t help but escape the lips of many I have encountered. If not that, "Parle Espaniol?" "Mexican?" "Namaste!" are close second and third places.

A few months ago, I started working in a different end of this small big town. As of then, a whole new curiosity has been sparked. No longer do the same questions and I make acquaintance. While exchanging chit-chat with a client, she turned to me with a raised eyebrow and said: "Do you wear a burqa when you are not here?"

Fair enough, I thought. I could just as well be from Pakistan. I jested: "No, I am not a Muslim. And if I did wear the burqa, you would have noticed by now. Doesn’t quite work that way. Plus, you know I am not religious."

She turned to me, matter-of-factly: "Of course. I knew that. I mean`85 Are you Islam?"

I could not help but break into an awkward laughter. Hold on a second. What? Am I Islam?

Living in Canada, or more so, growing up in Toronto through most of my childhood never really exposed me to such ignorance of racial, cultural and religious diversity. But this? This was new. I was not annoyed, angered or humiliated at this situation. Nor do I have any reason to be. The realisation occurred; the problem is not with the people who do not know, but with those who do.

Different ethnic and racial groups tend to conglomerate and socialise amongst themselves, regardless of who they are and where they come from. Where we lack, as human beings, is the willingness to go beyond our comforts into something unfamiliar, to educate and to be educated.

The Canadian Government promoting conservatism has not helped much either to this cause. Where minority groups lose their funding, and are silenced by the roars of the elite, how can we possibly expect the minority to be anything other than just that?

Alright, alright. I won’t make this about my political views. It is just interesting to see how globalisation has just homogenised people. Travelling through the world is no adventure as it used to be. Same stores, same clothes, different people. Same culture. Commodification outweighs culture.

On the same end, there are people who embrace their roots, their cultures and religions to inspire and educate themselves and others to employ individuality and uniqueness (It must be mentioned, in all of this, that I, by no means, at any point, refer to any sort of extremism).

There are many examples of this sort. One, whom I wish to speak of, is a young Sikh Canadian, better known to us as Jusreign.

About a year ago, I had got in touch with him, ready to write a piece about the young South Asians in Canada who inspire. Somehow, the piece never panned out at the time. Recently, on discovering a new video of his, this writing came about.

With his laugh-out-loud comedy, a large audience and bubbly personality, he culminated the art of performance with the ability to educate.

How does everything I have mentioned so far tie together? Well, there are still a lot of people who are unfamiliar with Sikhism. That being said, Jusreign has provided a means to overcome that with his YouTube video — How to tie a pugh (turban).

It teaches any Joe, Mary, or Kumar, start to finish, on how a turban is tied by a Sikh. It resonates pride in where he comes from, and his sense of responsibility to his community. One, which does not exist through obligation, but through respect.

For those who live in the misconception of who Sikhs are, and why they wear turbans, Jusreign helps, by just that much more, to overcome the oblivion existing in current, modern, globalised society.

Akakaamazing, another young Canadian Punjabi, uploaded a three-minute beautiful video touring Punjab.

A salute to the many young persons like Jusreign and Akakaamazing, who provide another reason for young Punjabis, Sikhs and Indians to be proud of their roots.