Matheen Posted February 16, 2010 Report Share Posted February 16, 2010 (edited) WJKK! WJKF! Having spent a large part of my youth in E.Africa, I assumed that starching a dastar and tying it with a sharp 'chunj' was normal, and those of us who didn't were in the minority. That was until we moved to places with more sikhs, visited Punjab etc. Anyone know why the Sikhs there started starching their dastars and what's the reason for the sharp chunj - is it a shastar or influence of living amongst rhinos, lol? (no offence to anyone - you should see my nana ji's dastar, it could take your eye out, lol!) Edited February 16, 2010 by Matheen 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaheediyan Posted February 16, 2010 Report Share Posted February 16, 2010 (edited) The chunj was an evolution in the Ramgharia Misl when the British banned Shastar after the 2nd Anglo Sikh war, the remnants of Mahara Ranjit Singhs Ramgharia Brigade adopted the practice of hardened chunjs on their Dastaar in replacement of the dhumalla shastar. This highly effective weapon could still be used to take out someone eyes from a low (warrior) stance in hand to hand combat. Sadly, after these Sikhs later migrated to East Africa, the chunj became more an identity symbol/fashion and the original militaristic meaning was lost. There are still some hardcore Ramgharia Warriors who understand the meaning of and carry on the puratan rvaaj and hold the vidya to utilise their chunj in life and death scenarios... Dhan Dhan Ramgharia Khalsa di Chunj! A rare photo of the now 'secret and original' Ramgharia Warrior order that still exists today... Edited February 16, 2010 by shaheediyan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matheen Posted February 16, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2010 Your theory is surely disproved by the fact that non Ramgharia Sikhs in Kenya also wear the same style. This maryada is now less widespread, as the vast majority of 'sikhs' in that region are now moneh and the ravaaj is now for 2-laar dastars with insufficient material for the chunj. Singh in your photo has smashed it, lol! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaheediyan Posted February 16, 2010 Report Share Posted February 16, 2010 (edited) My theory is far from disproved, as I said in my post, the East Africans lost the true essence of the chunj and it became a rvaaj, hence was even adopted by non-Ramgharias. The asli Ramgharias have a word for these fake Ramgharias..... nan.g-gharias! Edited February 16, 2010 by shaheediyan 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SURYADEV Posted February 16, 2010 Report Share Posted February 16, 2010 My theory goes thus: The sikhs of Africa are the direct descendents od the oriiginal ramgahria warriors. the chunj is the sool that used to be placed in the dammalla. but due to various reasons they had abandoned this practice whence they arrived onthe shores of Africa and now have a sharp, pointy chunj as part of their pag. I have no doubt that the chunj still as some lethal value but is at the same time acceptable in a modern social setting. To see the original style of placeing a metal sharp, pointy thingy in the dumalla just have a loook at any pics of Niddar Singh Nihang. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaheediyan Posted February 16, 2010 Report Share Posted February 16, 2010 Zulu moderator Sahib, could this thread be moved to the Yudh Vidya section. Ta bud. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaheediyan Posted February 16, 2010 Report Share Posted February 16, 2010 Rare Ramgharia Khalsa spotted using his Maha Shakti in East Africa to preserve the ancient bare handed hunting rites of the Yodhveer Panth. Ignore the propoganda title of the video. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest zulu Posted February 17, 2010 Report Share Posted February 17, 2010 (edited) LOOOL!!! you guys cracked me up, as a fellow East African, I also thought starch was teek(never worn a starch pugh though) then understood oh must be tied daily. you can tell im a kenyan a mile of just by how 'tickka ' the chung is but serious big respect to the East Africans and the works on the railways most of them went there to do. Serious note a few people I know told me how their babeh told them they used to tie Lepard skin pugha.... I moved it due to the request but also personal reasons I also believe starching your chung just the chung will be a perfect shastar, always joked about that with my friends who said I should starch the chung because its soo pointy can take your akh out. Edited February 17, 2010 by zulu 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaheediyan Posted February 17, 2010 Report Share Posted February 17, 2010 "Rare Ramgharia Khalsa spotted using his Maha Shakti in East Africa to preserve the ancient bare handed hunting rites of the Yodhveer Panth. Ignore the propoganda title of the video." The link, sorry! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ishvar2 Posted February 17, 2010 Report Share Posted February 17, 2010 LOL!!! Great video! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaheediyan Posted February 17, 2010 Report Share Posted February 17, 2010 "but serious big respect to the East Africans and the works on the railways most of them went there to do." Also big up to the Chinese who laid the US network, the British who spearheaded the 'rail', the French for building the fastest train in the world, the Russians for having the longest train journey, the Bolivians for having the highest train station, the Italians for building the only railway to go on top of a Volcano and lastly, big up to the Germans, who are the only nation to have seriously invested (and not given up on) in the future via their Transrapid project - the future is magnetic levitation aka Maglev. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest zulu Posted February 17, 2010 Report Share Posted February 17, 2010 (edited) I took this pic when I went to makhindu gurdwara....but the original is on my external hard drive so took it off my Flickr. Edited February 17, 2010 by zulu 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaheediyan Posted February 17, 2010 Report Share Posted February 17, 2010 Yes, I wouldn't have fancied laying rail tracks when the Tsavo Man-eaters were busy giving mukti to many members of mankind! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matheen Posted February 17, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2010 (edited) Actually, a very small percentage of the railway workers were Sikhs. Most of the Sikhs were skilled workers or taken over as part of the Police and Army. The skilled workers were involved in supervision, fabrication (metal and wood), mechanics, (later on) farming etc. Edited February 17, 2010 by Matheen 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalsingh101 Posted February 17, 2010 Report Share Posted February 17, 2010 Is this a comedy pagh? All he needs is a red nose. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest zulu Posted February 17, 2010 Report Share Posted February 17, 2010 Actually, a very small percentage of the railway workers were Sikhs. Most of the Sikhs were skilled workers or taken over as part of the Police and Army. The skilled workers were involved in supervision, fabrication (metal and wood), mechanics, (later on) farming etc. indeed, great Gdad was one of the DC's in kenya. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalsingh101 Posted February 17, 2010 Report Share Posted February 17, 2010 (edited) I don't know if I've gone too far but.....I had to see it, the logical conclusion of 'the look', no offence intended to anyone! Edited February 17, 2010 by dalsingh101 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ds123 Posted February 18, 2010 Report Share Posted February 18, 2010 hahaha 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asingh1 Posted March 9, 2010 Report Share Posted March 9, 2010 oooook the african pagh has been around in india before the partition of india pakistan the sikhs that came from lahore migrated to kenya and tanzinia. so the kenyan dastar is also called lahori dastar if you want proof or w.e go to sikh heritage website or life. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalsingh101 Posted March 9, 2010 Report Share Posted March 9, 2010 oooook the african pagh has been around in india before the partition of india pakistan the sikhs that came from lahore migrated to kenya and tanzinia. so the kenyan dastar is also called lahori dastar if you want proof or w.e go to sikh heritage website or life. Are you suggesting that that style of pagh completely died out in Panjab in the matter of decades? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asingh1 Posted March 10, 2010 Report Share Posted March 10, 2010 it has been died out in india but people who are from east africa and singerpore keep the same style alive. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matheen Posted March 10, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2010 it has been died out in india but people who are from east africa and singerpore keep the same style alive. Not really. The 'Kenyan' style only became popular in Kenya a few generations ago. If you look at very old photos of the Sangat there, they wore normal Indian styles - in many cases more rustic than you find in Indian cities, more similar to styles in the pinds. There was a shift between people who are now in their nineties and the generation that came after. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest zulu Posted March 10, 2010 Report Share Posted March 10, 2010 Not really. The 'Kenyan' style only became popular in Kenya a few generations ago. If you look at very old photos of the Sangat there, they wore normal Indian styles - in many cases more rustic than you find in Indian cities, more similar to styles in the pinds. There was a shift between people who are now in their nineties and the generation that came after. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalsingh101 Posted March 10, 2010 Report Share Posted March 10, 2010 A puratan pointy chunj wallah Kenyan warrior Singh in full regalia! Behold! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaheediyan Posted March 10, 2010 Report Share Posted March 10, 2010 Sadly, the truth about starch, is that it was invented to turn the Dastaar into a hat, simple i.e. a dastaar you could take off and put on again the next day, without loosing any of its form/tightness. I hope no one is going to argue this point. Religious Kenyan Sikhs, although keeping to the same style - tie a fresh dastaar everyday and don't go anywhere near starch i.e. Singhs from GNNSJ. They make great alternatives to work helmets - some are solid as a rock! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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