All About Hair -- Essential for all Sikhs !!

[Harjinder]

Published by: The Sikh Cultural Center !!

116, Karnani Mansion

25A. Park Street Calcutta-16

Ph: 229-9656

Email: ksingh_india@sikhreview.org

Each and every religion has certain fundamental commandments. The Sikhism is no exception, too. A Sikh should always wear five Ka'Kars (Kesh, Kangha, Kara, Kirpan and Kachhera). There are many historical reasons to wear five Ka'kar by a Sikh. A considerable number of scholars have devoted their attention to the historical fact. It should be mentioned that the five Ka'Kars are beyond the scope of the present volume. Among them only one, i.e., "Kesh" is being taken here into consideration. Sardar Sarup Singh Alag, the author of the book "Hair Power" tried to highlight the natural and scientific causes for the upkeeping and preservation of hair. He did not take the problem from the viewpoint of a common believer. Contrarily, he tried to present the matter to his readers by logically and simple, understandable language.

The Sikh Cultural Center, Calcutta with a view to aware the common people for hair preservation is publishing certain important and relevant part of the said book in the present form of pamphlet with the permission of the author (Extracted by Sardar Kulwant Singh). During this year 1999, the Sikhs in India and abroad have taken various programs in commemoration with ter-centenary birthday of Khalsa Panth. The present publication is a humble attempt of the Sikh Cultural Center on the auspicious occasion of the great and holy ceremony. Its Bengali version translated by Dr. Deepak Chattaraj is also available from the office of the Center.

Calcutta, Dated April 1999

Honorary GEN SEC.

The Sikh Cultural Center

Consider Hair, as Special of all

In the religious literature of the world there are many evidences which suggest that God has created humans with great interest. The earthly material used for this purpose was kept kneaded for two centuries. (It is just an assumption and has no relevance with modern calendar system) and then another hypothetical period of 280 years was spent on giving shape to this creation so that the humans thus created should look the most lovable in all respects. Everything was done with many enthusiasm and conscious efforts. The jewish and Christian churches also contain evidences to the effect that God created man in His own image and put His own particle as soul within him. On the basis of all this, it can be easily presumed that God did not add anything, including hair, to human body which could be termed as superfluous. Thus, trimming the hair amounts not only declining the gift given by God but also disfiguring the shape given to man by Akalpurkh i.e. Lord God. In other words, it can also be taken to mean that by so doing man takes pleasure in finding faults in the blue print prepared by God and thus showing off himself as better qualified and more competent than the creator Lord. In sum, this amount to endeavor equaling Him and even excelling Him by trying to improve upon His work. Ironically, the creation is getting zealous to override the Creator, thereby allowing ungratefulness to predominate. The only point of consolation in this behalf is that this blunder of cutting and disowning hair has not been made by man since the times of Adam, but the same is in practice only since few centuries.

Scientific Research on the Hair

The Industrial Revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries in the West provided increased avenues of employment, but at the same time lack of security measures in the factories led to several fatal accidents caused by long hair. To avoid such accidents, the workers started, though unwillingly and with a heavy heart trimming their long hair. Consequently, the number of people with long hair like that of Shakespeare decreased and with the passage of time such a breed became almost extinct. But inspire of all this one positive development that had taken place there, was a lot of good and deep research on the hair. They wanted to ascertain the benefits of keeping hair and also to find out the changes they effect in human body and temperament. The research carried out with this end in view has highlighted the fact that the hair serves as a factory providing Vitamin D for the body. Vitamin D protects a person against the fatal disease like Tuberculosis and is an essential element for bones, teeth and the nervous system. This is an item that is becoming scarce today. The reason behind its scarcity is that Vitamin D in vegetables is missing to a great extent as a result of the insecticides being sprayed for the protection of vegetable crops from certain diseases. Consequently, the lackness of Vitamin D is being felt throughout the world. The developed countries have realized this and keeping in view the grave scarcity of Vitamin D, have started producing synthetic Vitamin D. They add this vitamin to the food of the children so that they must not grow up physically weak and mentally tense persons. As against these developed and affluent nations, the poor countries can easily get precious Vitamin D for their children free from the open Sun through their long hair. The significant research has also revealed that longer the hair the more will be the production of Vitamin D through the interaction of Sun heat with the oil in the hair. Thus all this shows that keeping hair is very important for one's physical as well as mental well-being. It has also been proved on the basis of experiments that the hair tied in the form of a knot on the top of the head are capable of attracting the maximum heat energy of Sun just as the television antenna has the capacity to hold photo waves from the atmosphere. (According to Tessitas, the ancient Germans also used to tie their long hair into a knot on the top of their heads. May be, they did so with a view to obtaining the above mentioned benefits). If the rare of Vitamin D can be obtained free from Nature only by keeping long hair, healthwise also it becomes imperative for human beings to keep long hair.

Harms of Trimming Hair

If the hair are not trimmed, their length, growth stops automatically after reaching a certain length. In this situation, hardly 0.5% of the protein that we take in with our daily diet, is spent on their upkeep. On the other hand, the trimmed hair consumes much more protein because this has to be spent on the re-growth of the hair. Had the hair stopped re-growing after having been trimmed once, there would have been no extra expense of protein. However, keeping in view the multidimensional usefulness of the hair for human body, Nature has created within the human body an interesting mechanism to help continuous growth of the hair. This mechanism continues being operational till one breaths one's last. Thus, this mechanism goes on spending more protein on the re-growth of the hair after a person shaves them off or trims them. Nature does this so as not to deny a person the varied benefits of hair. It seems modern man is busy in shaving off the hair under a sort of atheistic culture whereas God is ever involved in their growth. God is quite serious about the hair, whereas man is equally careless. Let us wait and watch the final outcome. Meanwhile, we can only say there is a sort of deadlock as under:

He won't change His habits,

Why should we change ours?

Unfortunately, God's Will shall prevail on the long run because He knows the mystery and significance of the hair, whereas modern fashionable man on the other hand knowing the importance of hair tends to be careless, But we must at least think in the light of this fact that hand, foot or any other organ of the body if once get chopped off, does not sprout again, but on the contrary if we trim or shave off the hair, they grow up again soon except in very old age. It must be presumed from this fact that importance of the hair can be more, and certainly not less than hands, feet or other organs of human body.

It is generally observed that the Hindus perform the first mundan (shaving off hair of the head) of their children at the age of 2 or 3 years. On this occasion, the head is completely shaved off. On this shaven head, the hair grows up to half centimeter within one month. The hair grows more rapidly in the case of youth vis-à-vis the small children. In the case of the former, the hair grows 1/8th of an inch in just three days. Nevertheless let us make the case of 2-3 year old child the basis of our contention: his hair grows half centimeter in one month. On average, every person has 85,000 to 1,25,000 hairs on his head. If we take the child to have one lac (hundred thousand) hair on his head, we shall find that such a child spends energy from his body to grow one hair up to the length of 50,000 centimeters or 500 meters if his total growth is computed on a one single hair. If he is in the habit of getting his hair regularly trimmed throughout his life, we can well imagine the amount of energy he might use to grow up the hair again and again. Thus valuable energy and minerals are wasted just for nothing. There should be limit to one's ignorance, but as Ghalib has said 'Who can instruct the already learned.' Man by trimming his hair, is harming himself in many ways.

Another harm that trimming of hair causes is, that the hair have been the means of receiving energy for brain from the sun, but by trimming then we distroy to great extent that system and there by render the mechanism almost inert. It does not imply that social classes prone to trimming hair, lack intellectual level even without keeping full hair, they could have accomplished much better had they kept hair intact. Thus we do feel sad that they unwittingly make those means inoperative, which has to supply large quantity of energy to human organism. If we take into account the cumulative loss suffered generations after generations, it seems certain that trimming of hair is certainly an impediment in the way of realizing the aim of perfect human intellect. It thus is certainly a grat disadvantage for the entire mankind. Who will consider it wise to continue the trade causing continuous loss? Think and be watchful. This is the need and the expectation of time.

Nature of the Hair

After their compehansive research, the scientists have reached the conclusion that the hair stop growing having achieved the level of optimum growth. They remain alive for two to six years. They play their active role during this period and then getting weak, fall off as we comb them. This is called the death of the hair. There is no use keeping the dead hair. However, keeping in view the utmost importance of hair for human being, Nature is ever ready to replenish these dead hair by sprouting new ones in their place. The importance of the hair can also be gauged from the fact that the operation of replacing the dead hair with the new ones gets started immediately and forcefully so that body does not suffer because of their lack. This also shows that new and healthy hair on the head is needed throughout life. That is why God has created such a wonderful mechanism as a result of which person continues to be bestowed with healthy hair for long years of his/her life. The fact that the hair grows rapidly even after their regular trimming, also implies that God does not approve of the human action of shaving off or trimming their hair. Inspite of that, God has not yet got annoyed with him. As a proof of this, we find that the new born baby in any family or tradition in the world is blessed with beautiful hair. These hairs are the gift, which God bestows upon him while sending him on to this earth. It is another matter that except Sikhs nobody else endeavours to learn and abide by this will of Almighty. They also do not seem to be in a mood to value this precious Divine gift as much as they ought to. Man considers himself highly cultured. A follower of the Sikh faith does realize that God has blessed him with the sacred hair from his very birth, and these remain with him till his death. Thus, a true Sikh of the Guru neither comes nor goes naked from this world as all parts of this body are covered with the precious gift of hair. Thus, belief in the sanctity of hair saves him from the sense of duality. If we look from the point of view of the naturalists we see that they believe the existence of two ways to live life. One is to live in conformity with nature and the other is to live in conflict with it. The first is the way of harmony and the second is the way of a conqueror who wishes to subjugate and dominate leading to personal and public nuisances. The Gurmet or the Sikh way is one which accepts no dichotomy between man and nature as is enjoined upon Sikhs by Guru Nanak in Bara Maha and Guru Gobind Singh in Akal Ustat and both these Banis serve as the foundation of the Sikh oral and orational practices. 'Hair Power' is the out come of the first attitude and as such is ever charged energising battery for the human machine.

Unani System of Medical Science and Hair

Most of ancient indigenous science of medicine reveal that one of the causes of chronic bad cold is trimming of hair. This has been found in many chronicles during the past century or so that long untrimmed hair provide much relief to one suffering from this kind of disease. Moreover people with hair are less prone to this malady. Modern scientific research can easily throw light on this point. Research in medical science has proved that the relationship between healthy hair and thyroid glands is rather intimate and if we protect our throat from getting sore, our hair will remain black, strong and healthy for a long time. Thus they will also be able to perform their duties more actively and effectively. There are several such references in the Yajur Veda and the Atherva Veda. These references suggests that maintenance of untrimmed hair is absolutely necessary for a healthy body, physical strength and hair glow. We do not sow the hair; thus plucking or trimming of them is not natural. They are an integral part of human body, a manifestation of strength and chivalry, symbolic of social respect and reflection of mental equipoise. They are also an example of India's cultural richness. A religion, which aims at providing Saint-Soldiers, knows the true worth of hair. Their true worth has been realized By Guru Gobind Singh and the Khalsa Panth, created by him. Having received the gift of Amrit (Sikh Baptism) and of hair, the name Khalsa Panth became synonymous with the protectors of not only the country but the entire mankind. These hair became a symbol of their recognition. For the Sikhs hair became their flying masts. A true Sikh a Khalsa could be easily recognized even among the multitude. He became to be called an inheritor of India and fought against the invading hordes-one equalling one-and-a-quarter lacs. After wearing the hair, he gave evidence of the power of his bhakti and shakti far and wide. The entire world felt amazed at his achievements and also chroniclers - willingly or unwillingly - eulogized the Khalsa. Hai became the symbol of respect and dignity for the Sikhs. Now everybody has learned that the strength of the Sikhs as a community is merged in the hair. So long as hair are intact, community is strong and respected. By bestowing upon them the gift of hair, the Guru have made the Sikhs firm from within and dauntlessly determined from without.

Hair and the Solar and Lunar Energy

It is assumed that the central point of the solar energy is considered the top of head and the central point of lunar energy is the chin. As the hair on the head receive energy from sun and transfer it to human body, the hair on the chin (beard) receive lunar energy for onward transfer to human body. Another peculiar characteristic of the hair is that they hinder the harmful waves prevalent in the atmosphere from affecting the brain and mind as a result of which mind does not suffer from despondency, excessive emotionalism, pessimism and mental confusion and instead virtues like courage, warmth of heart, optimism and enthusiasm are infused. Since the hair on the head, on chin and above the upper lip have different functions to perform, their constitution is also different. Everybody can easily differentiate between the hair of the head, and those of the beard and moustaches. Mr. Malgarini, a professor of psycology of the Sanjose State university in America has done a commendable research on the effects of beard. He concludes that beard on a man's face makes his personal look more manly and impressive. Another Western thinker, Calimash, even goes to the extent of saying that beard forbids man from committing sin and thus saves him. It attracts him towards the path of righteousness. Thus to maintain beard is symbolic of one's good fortune. Beard is also the manifestation of one's good, ethical life. As against men, women do not have beard. So the question arises the equipoise and righteousness which beard amasses in men is why denied to women because women do not have beards. Is it not an injustice unto them? No, may be God did so keeping in view their softness and beau ideal. If female beauty comprises in her chin being devoid of hair, male beauty and bravery depend on the hair (beard) on his chin. To compensate women for denying her beard which is an important source of bringing energy to body, the Divine One strengthened her nervous system sixteen times more than that of man. It is possible that because of this very reason qualities of softness, tolerance, humility and sweetness in temper are much stronger in women than in men: In fact, these are some of the most attractive qualities in women. In sum, it can be said that man must make the maximum possible use of the hair given by God because they are capable of taking the solar energy, after purifying it, direct to human body. This energy helps keep body healthy as it is a very fine antibiotic capable of destroying germs of many diseases. It is nearly true that the more we keep our hair in contact with solar energy the more useful they would be for the human body. No doubt, pores of shaven hair also keep performing the same function, but untrimmed hair can do so in amuch more effective and powerful manner. Keeping in view the fast polluting atmosphere, we must seriously consider maintaining long, untrimmed hair, otherwise it will be too late for us.

Formative Material of the Hair

People doing research on hair have accepted the fact that the hair are made of such substances, which protect body from cold as well as heat. That is why they are called good conductors of heat and cold to the body. When the weather is cold, that substance in the hair gets activated which has to provide heat to body and especially to mind. Interestingly, this mechanism works the other way round during the hot summers. We generally find that as we walk in the sun in extreme hot season a kind of sweaty condition is created in the hair. This sweat mixes with the hair, thereby the latter do not get much hot up. This also saves a person from direct heat and sunstroke. That is why people maintaining long hair are much less susceptible to sunstroke or exposure to the sun. On the contrary, where it is very cold the hair keep the temperature in the zone of head warm by preserving the heat received from Sun. Consequently, one does not feel much cold. When we put ourselves in shivering conditions, our hair stand on end. At that time each hair of our body tries to take-in maximum energy from the atmosphere. This mechanism also enables us to face situations of danger more corageously. This entire automatic activity should be considered as the wondrous miracle of Nature.We can also say that by providing hair, Nature has put humanity under its heavy debt.

The hair which perform astonishing but precious job are made up of the following substances:

1.Oxygen 28%

2. Carbon 50%

3. Hydrogen 06%

4. Nytrogen 11%

5. Sulphur 05%

Besides the above given substances, the hair also contain heat and oil, and the grey hair contain a small amount of lime also. These three elements also cause a little change in the above proportion.

As a result of trimming the hair, we not only deny ourselves the use of certain minerals, but also waste these elements. According to an American doctor, Robert Del Girni, the loss suffered in consequence of trimming hair is manifested as lack of bravery, self-confidence, determination and labour in such people as compared with those who maintain the sanctity of hair. If the above statement is applied to European or Western people everybody will vouchsafe for bravery and hard working nature even though they trim their heads and shave off there beards. In answer to this, it can only be said that if these people are so brave and intelligent even after trimming and shaving off their hair they could certianly have added immensely to their present bravery and intelligence level by keeping the hair. Even today many great philosophers, scientists, researchers and litterateurs have long hair and beards.

Recently some of the Western doctors and scientists have after deep researches, brought out important facts about the hair. A brief appraisal of that research can easily inform us of the great valuable service being rendered to our body by the hair on different parts of body. According to a laboratory estimate, if we trim away or shave off 50 grams of human hair, we loose one gram of trace metal, which has immense potency to ward off the dangerous disease of diabetes and also to soothen the most severe burning sensation. Those who trim their hair waste much of these valuable metals and elements in the re-growth of their hair and thus weaken themselves and become susceptible to various diseases. Prof. Prasad's reports (1966) in this behalf are highly informative, educative and eye-opener for those who trim hair mindlessly under the fun and fury of fashion. Sikhs are the luckiest lot who are directed by their Gurus to shun the harmful practice of sacrificing an important organ of their body (hair) at the alter of fashion. A Sikh looks smart, masculine with unshorn hair which are part and parcel of his stout personality.

According to another Indian scientist Dr. A.S. Prasher, during the summer zinc value increases in the body because of the hair. As a result of this, one remains protected against maladies such as infection of fingers. dr. R.O. Phil also agrees that the hair function as natural banks as regards the trace metals. It is, therefore, in the interest of mankind to properly look after the hair because they perform rare service to humans. Besides the above mentioned importance of trace metals, it has also been proved that lack of these metals not only results in human body falling victim to the disease already referred to but also adversely affects the digestive system of children resulting in loss of appetite and taste. Consequently they do not get full nourishment and therefore remain short statured. In this way, hair are also useful for a child to help him get tall statured and healthy body, The diminutive midget person lacks zinc which one gets through his body through the medium of hair.

A sufficiently deep research has also taken place to prove that the presence of an adequate quantity of the trace metals inthe body of a woman favourably affect the body of the new born baby. Nature has gifted the hair with the quality of collecting these rare minerals in human body so that these could be used whenever the need be. Because a woman has to give birth to a child, the Lord has made her hair, stronger, thicker and longer than those of man so that such minerals could be collected and preserved in the body. It has also been observed that during pregnancy the hair of a woman gets thicker. May be, Nature does so to help woman to get additional quantity of minerals required for the development of the embryo. This is how nature takes care of mankind and alas, human beings turn a blind eye to such gestures. It seems they will they will realize their folly only after having suffred the maximum.

An Electric Aspect of Hair

Engineer Nirmal Singh is the Chief Engineer (Retd) of Punjab State Electricity Board. His engineering enterprise is still acknowledged by everybody in the Board. Along with this, he has a wonderful capacity to use his knowledge of electrical engineering in the ordinary affais of life. He compared in several of his lectures the spiritual pleasure of kirtan with electric current. These lectures have been very well received and they reveal the great intellectual genius of S. Nirmal Singh. He can also make almost exact predication about rain with his scientific acumenship. He had predicted well in advance about the continuous heavy rain on 3 September 1988 which lashed Punjab in the last week of Sep. 1988 and everybody knows that Punjab witnessed the most severe floods of the century those days. This known personage has also expressed his views about the hair from the perspective of electric theory and scientific knowledge. His views on the subject are summed up as under for the use and the perusal of the readers.

1. The knot that the hair produce on the head has been a question mark for mankind the world over. Most of the people consider the hair unworthy and thus ignore them. That is why 90% of the male population of the world shave off their heads/moustaches and trim their hair. They follow this as a fashion and suffer.

2. On the basis of science, the importance of hair has been rather great and infinite. Everybody knows the importance of long and thickly hair for women because they are considered the precious wealth of womenfolk. Of course the importance of hair is equal to both man and woman, but man in his ignorance and owing to some unknown reasons looks at the hair differently. In fact, the hair perform an important role in establishing man's unique invisible and constant relationship with the universe. Besides, they also keep us united with our Creator-Lord. Had there been no hair, man would have remained cut off from everything. In that case, he would have looked like a withered or dried up tree and there would have been no obvious relation between man and his creator. It is to maintain this relationship and connection that the Lord had produced roughly one to one and a half hair on each human head.

3. Our knowledge of the hair is rather meager because we have declared them superfluous and unnecessary without ever reflecting over and analysing their role. Just as a transistor starts broadcasting exactly the same programmes of the radio stations if we put the former on the same frequency with the radio station similarly, we constantly receive from universe electronic and other subtle energy through hair and get benifit from it. Just as there are numerous towers nearby the transmitting station, there are hair on the human head. If the tower near the aerodrome does not function or is knowingly disconnected or dismantled, none of the planes would be in a position to land safely and accidents would occur one after the other. This is what is continuously happening to us. The ill-treatment and harshness we inflict on the hair resuld in numerous bodily disorders and diseases, heart attacks and other fatal ailments. Therefore, the cluster of hair on our head is in fact, our security ring.

4. It requires a full book-length dilate in detail on the importance of hair. In fact, the hair posses magnetic and electric energy. The scientist who invented electricity got his idea from rubbing a stick with the hairn of a cat's body. Human hair are much longer than those of a cat. These hair have the capacity to catch the shortest, medium and largest electronic frequency. They gather together the most subtle messages from the Divine and transmit them direct to mind. That is why sometimes some very strange and alien thoughts come to our mind which ordinarily has no relation to our life. Had it not been so, our life would have been just like a machine and in this vast universe our positiion would have been like those of the deaf and the dumb. The saints, scientists and philosophers all over the world preserve their hair and beards as a precious. This comes to them naturally whereas in other worldly affairs such as their personal appearance (dresses, etc), constructing houses and acquiring household effects they are rather careless. Everybody can understand the reasons behind this: these personages know that it is because of the hair that they are what they are. No power or pelf can provide them this status, this spiritual position.

5. As we have said above, some people will all around get interested in the theme of hair power. It will soon develop into a subject of serious and deep study because the connection of hair is with everything from heavenly energy to physical energy, intellectual wisdom to the martial element and powers of body. The female charm and sex appeal is also because of the hair. It has generally been observed that woman who does not have long and thickly hair does not look charming and attractive inspite of all other physical charms.

6. The hair are of various kinds - plain, curly, heavy, thin, black, brown, etc. A mere look at the hair can reveal to us several of the hidden qualities of the wearer - male or female. The shape of the hair can reveal 15-20% of man's habits and temerament. Just as reading the lines of palm and shape of nose and eyes can help make predictions about the persons, we can learn of the hidden qualities of aperson if we make a serious study of his hair. Thus, the hair are the most important - scientifically and technologically. In the Sikh code of conduct, hair get the primary position, although the Sikh Gurus have ordained to maintain them in their natural unshorn state for various other reasons as well.

7. The brain, preserved in the safety of the skull of our head, is the most impotant organ of our body. God has employed one to one-and-a-half lac of additional security guards in the form of hair for the protection of this brain. They resist the blow of any stick, sword,etc because the hair besides being very velvety and slippery are also rather sturdy like the edge of a shaft. (This is how runs the views of Sardar Nirmal Singh).

Knowing all this it is now up to us whether we consider the hair a superfluous cluster on the head or useful guards gifted to us by God.

Arguments of Psychologists

The scientists through their research on different aspects of hair have proved that they are necessary for man's mental and emotional equilibrium. Working on the tendency to trim hair, the researchers in the field of psychology have opined that in the hearts of heart of man there goes on struggle which aims at discarding the male form in favour of female form. On the contrary, a woman finds pleasure in gwining male form. Psychologists say that due to the effect of the two-sided struggle man has started discarding beard, the symbol of his manliness so that he appears like a woman. The famous psychoanalyst Gustaw Jung (1875-1961) has analysed this psychological reason after doing deep study of unconscious mind. He mentioned that a sort of unending war is going on in human minds (both male & female) for the change of sex or to experience the whims of other sex. This urge is operative under two systems or dispositions i.e. anima and animus struggling against each other in the unconscious mind. Anima is suppressed urge which investigates a man to become a female and animus on the other hand works strongly in opposite direction as it wants woman to become a man. Perhaps under the stress of this tendency the Ainu of Japan used to tatoo moustaches on girls. The process would start when the girl was about two years old: small knife cuts would be made above the upper lip and soot or black lead would be rubbed into them. This would go on till the girl reached marriageable age by which time she would have a tattoo resembling a long thick moustache (Ref. Saturday plus. The Tribune dated 26, 1997.)

These forces continue laying their influence on a person in hidden but bit mild way and that is why he does not become fully aware of them. Under the impact of the impulse of anima activity man unconsciously wants to do away with his beard and moustaches. Other features to adopt feminity are beyond his approach for which he is helpless. Perhaps reacting under anima activity youth of today has started imitating women in wearing jewellery and ornaments. Many Indian young boys including players have got their ears pierced and have worn ear rings which is otherwise a feminish ornament meant exclusively for ladies. Some young men do sport bangles on their wrist simply to satisfy the said instinct.

Similarly the young girls feel pleased in wearing men's dresses including using neckties. They have got their long hair converted to the boy-cut for fashion to make their look as much masculine as possible. In the light of such a war going in deep in the human minds at unconscious level, we the Sikhs are immensely greatful to our great Gurus and especially to Guru Gobind Singh who directed us to maintain our image and form as given us by Akalpurkh. In this way the sex changing struggle going on in human minds will at least not effect Sikhs and we shall experience peace and stability in mind. We can realize only after accepting the hair because it is only by maintaining them that we can retain our divine image.

Can we expect this from the community that it will make endeavours with which this concept of divine image of man or complete form of man spreads all over the world and makes man realize that he should not go in for fashions, rather he should go near the reality provided by Nature.

Hair as Cables of Information

The accounts of chivalry of Napolean Bonaparte who rose from an army general to be the Emperor of France, are still remembered even by children. He was a brave warrior who had maintained unshorn hair. He hated the word 'impossible' and according to him this word occurs only in the dictionary of fools. He might have reached this conclusion only because of his intellectual genius and competence. He fought several battles against England and was finally defeated at Waterloo in1815 by England. He was confined in saint Helina Island where he died a mysterious death on 5 May 1821. Nobody was able to tell for 100 years the real cause of Napolean's death. After his death, along with other precious things Napolean's hair were also preserved. The latest experiments of chemistry have revealed that there are found in human hair 30 kinds of trace metals which are available in blood as well, but their presence in the hair is much more than in blood. Consequently experiments began to be made on hair which provided us immensely valuable information which was not available earlier. This new research unveiled in 1962 the mystery of Napolean's death when researches on his hair revealed that his death was due to arsenic. Inspite of this the matter did not end there. Many more questions have arisen thereafter. For example, did those hair really belong to Napolean? Making these points the basis of their investigation, the US Fedral Bureau of Investigation is trying to find out the real cause of the French warrior’s death about 175 years ago. This agency will also will also make its experiments on nine hair of Napolean. Two of these hair will get destroyed during the experiment and the remaining seven will be preserved in a sealed cover for record. So far as the question of carrying experiments on Napolean’s hair is concerned, evidence has come to light that these are in fact Napolean’s hair. After an intensive research, the researchers have found a note written by Madam Navraj who used wash Napolean’s clothes during his last confinement. She writes in her note that when Napolean died on 5 May 1821, she somehow managed to cut off alock of his hair. He was dead by six hours at that time. Some of these hair are also being put to test and the remaining about 220 hair are being sold in about 6.2 million rupees or even more. The admirers of Napolean take pride in preserving with great respect and love this precious memento. Experiments made on his hair confirm that Napolean died after consuming arsenic.

How strange but important it is that hair do keep noticeable and reliable rapport with their origin i.e. the keeper even segregated from it for such a long time spacing into centuries. It is not surprising that hair are being used to test the use of drugs even. Hair analysis for the use of cocaine has also occupied the most dependable place for tests. It is possible now even to determine the blood group by analysing the hair.

The matterdoes not end here. The scientists and researchers have proved that the proportion of the trace metals, found in the body could be more minutely measured with the help of the hair. Similarly, Bradfield proved in 1974 that the hair can help us to gather complete information about protein level in the body. On the basis of tests conducted on hair, the patient can be given proper treatment and restored to normal health. The evidence given above throw valuable light on the chemical and scientific significance of hair which is increasing day by day.

Hair and Health Information

The fourth international conference on health and diseases concluded on 10 February 1993. The conference reflected on the various ways of maintaining health and diagnosis of diseases. Scientists from all over the world participitated. The scientists from Uzbekistan, a state recently separated from USSR, presented a paper in which they tried to prove with the help of evidences that the hair can be used with increased trust and faith, for diagnosing different diseases in childrren as well as in grown-up persons. The hair are useful indicators of the health standards of a particular locality. They can also throw light on the healthwise ‘dangerous groups’. The scientists argued that the level of trace metals in the hair can be used to get valuable information about diseases such as diabetes, cardiac disorder. Insomnia and lack of iron. To reach this conclusiiion, many more scientists from Uzbekistan, have also declared the hair as very useful for diagnosing many diseases. The chinese scientists have their own experiences which they shared with others. They said that the copper level in the hair of the children must be used to determine the kind and extent of ailments they can suffer from in future. In this way, the future mankind on this earth can be made disease free.

Mr. Mehdi Hasan, a professor in the Inter-Disciplinary Brain Research Center of Aligarh Muslim University declared in the conference that the hair can also be used to determine the potentially toxic elements in body. Thus, we can get free of cost so valuable information through the use of hair in various laboratory tests.

Almost all important newspapers carried news during the conference days of the research work being done by scientists. The report adopted by the conference makes it absolutely clear that the hair can give us very valuable information about the health and/or ailments of our body. We know that if we learn before hand about a disease, we can remedy it more easily and almost certainly. And, this is not all. This is one dimensional scientific experiment on hair which the scientists have shared with us. But the hair play a very effective role in bringing equilibrium in life and if research is done on this aspect, the result will be rather astounding.

Research on DNA (Di-oxy Nucleic Acid) has brought into limelight that the DNA which is about 250 grams in one developed body, has far reaching effects. If all the quantity of DNA which is activated in body the person concerned becomes enlightened par excellence. Hair have direct bearing with DNA. As we all know that the pollution of the environment is to increase day by day from many sides and then people would realize the importance of all types of body hair. The day is not far off when the doctors would write on the prescription slip of the patients that they would have to keep long unshorn body hair if they want to resist the otherwise fatal attack of space pollution. Hair therefore would occupy an impotant place in the life style of a person living in 21st century. It is no exaggeration that future era would be the ear of HAIR POWER..Without proper hair on body the existence of person would also be in danger. He may opt for any religion but he must keep full hair and look like a Sikh if he wants himself able to combat the onslaught of multifaceted dreadful pollution.