We first noticed Aman when she liked Raw Women�s facebook page. We were so intrigued by the fact she was wearing a turban that we approached her to find out why.
Who we met was a strong young Sikh married to a proud young man, Jaswinder. We also found out that she is writer. So we asked her this question.
“Who are you Aman, and why do you, a woman, wear the Turban?”
This was her reply.
“Moving to Melbourne was the toughest decision of my life. Here I was at twenty two years old, comfortable with my age, and with my choice of marrying the best man I knew. Every time I met an old friend, or a distant relative I had to apologetically recite the reasons for not having the common, large Indian wedding that was expected of me. I wasn�t really sorry though; after all the wedding was about me and my husband, and what we wanted for our �big day�.
Living in Sydney in the heart of the Sikh community, where the Gurdwara worship hall was only minutes away, I had grown up used to the familiarity of running into familiar faces all over town. Non-Sikhs were more accustomed to either pass me by silently, or more commonly with a stare, or under the breath sneer. I had learned to ignore the western world and look up to the mothers and sisters in the Sikh community, who eventually held my hand and led me, as I willingly became a baptized (initiated Amritdhari) Sikh at the age of twenty two.”
“Wearing a dastar (turban) never limits me. I am a woman, and never misidentified for anything else. I am a walking icon for my religion; this is a lot of responsibility. Coming to Melbourne helped to redefine myself, to find strength from within and reinvigorated my determination to improve myself entirely. I am told I�m strong and inspirational but I don�t feel that way just yet. Who I am is something I will always re-evaluate, one aspect of who I am does not explain me. I am a combination of many great things and for now – I am a resilient woman. I am young wife. I am an active feminist. I am a devout Sikh. I am Aman!”
