Turban competition in Surrey
Posted April 5, 2010 4:23 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
SURREY (NEWS1130) – Boosting self esteem by wearing turbans — that’s the theme of a party in Surrey. The 8th Annual Turban Dastaar Competition brings in as many as 3,000 people, most of whom take part. Contestants are judged on the symmetry and folding of the head wear.
Ten minutes is all the time allotted for groups to tie their turban, but most can do it within three or four minutes. It’s done in front of a panel of judges for prizes.
Organizer Jas Gill explains some of the other rules. “You can’t have one ear showing more than the other, it has to be equal on both sides. The folds that you put in have to be equal on both sides. On the back, for symmetry, your head has to be completely covered once you’ve finished with your last piece and that last piece has to be properly tucked in.”
She adds the competition started following the 9/11 terror attacks, when some religious groups felt victimized by prejudice. “People that were not sure of who’s wearing one or what a turban means, they were afraid of people with turbans. People wearing turbans were afraid for their lives because they too were becoming victims.”
Organizers want to show how common turbans are. It goes until 6 p.m. at Surrey’s Bombay Banquet Hall.
