‘Meri Dastaar, Meri Shaan’: To reclaim panthic base, Akali Dal turns to basics — beard and turban

Under the campaign “Meri dastaar, meri shaan (My turban, my pride)”, the Akali Dal is trying to regain its core Panthic base, which drifted in a big way over the 2015 sacrilege and police firing incidents during its rule, and emerging as one of the key reasons for party’s bad to worse defeats in 2017 and 2022 Punjab elections, respectively.

At the centre-stage of ‘Youth Milni Programmes’ where party’s Sikh activists with shorn hair are encouraged to grow hair and wear turbans under “Meri dastaar, meri shaan” initiative is Sarabjeet Singh Jhinjer, who was appointed as Youth Akali Dal (YAD) chief in June this year. (Express photo)

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For third-generation Akali Dal supporter Jagpal Singh, wearing turban and growing hair was something he had never cared about despite his sister, who lives in the United Kingdom, often telling him to do so. This changed when he finally decided to sport the turban at a function organised by Youth Akali Dal at Baghapurana around two months ago.

“My sister, who works in Leicester in UK used to tell me to grow hair and sport a turban. But, eventually with the grace of Almightly, it happened during the party programme. I am a third-generation Akali Dal supporter. My life changed after I started sporting turban. My stature in the village also improved with the new look,” said Jagpal, who is resident of Landa village in Moga district, which in local parlance is also referred to as ‘Lande-Rode’ village due to its close proximity to Rode, the native village of slain Sikh militant leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.

Under the campaign “Meri dastaar, meri shaan (My turban, my pride)”, the Akali Dal is trying to regain its core Panthic base, which drifted in a big way over the 2015 sacrilege and police firing incidents during its rule, and emerging as one of the key reasons for party’s bad to worse defeats in 2017 and 2022 Punjab elections, respectively.

In July, YAD led by him embarked on “Milni” (loosely translated as meeting) and till now has organised programmes in 57 out of the total 117 constituencies in Punjab.

Jhinjer, who claims to have prevailed upon over 150 party activists, who earlier had shorn hair, to adorn themselves with the Sikh identity by wearing turban and keeping hair, told The Indian Express, “There has been a tremendous response to the initiative. For first eight to 10 days, there were teething issues as we started the campaign after paying obeisance at the Akal Takht, but subsequently, the campaign picked up and now we get calls from the youth leaders to schedule the function in their area.”

The campaign, Jhinjar said, had rejuvenated the Akali Dal youth.

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“The party youth which had been dejected and confined to their homes are now increasingly coming out to be part of this programme, many of them wearing Kesari turbans, the dress code to associate with Youth Akali Dal. It has rejuvenated them and they are turning up for other party programmes in good numbers,” said Jhinjer.

Akali Dal’s pick to head YAD, 41-year-old Jhinjer started as student wing leader in Khalsa College, Patiala in 2006, worked with Akali Dal’s student wing Students Organisation of India (SOI), subsequently served as village sarpanch and was chief spokesperson of YAD last year.

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