New Zealand Sikh takes turban off to help child hurt in mishap
Sunday, 17/05/2015
http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx
WELLINGTON: Sikhs worldwide are fighting for the right to keep their turban, their symbol of faith, on, but when it came to helping an injured child, a young Sikh man in New Zealand took it off gladly to cradle the head of the five-yearold boy on the scene of a road accident.
Harman Singh, 22, was one of the first on the scene in Auckland after a car had hit the child when he was walking to school with his elder sister, stuff.co.nz has reported. Talking about the incident, the man said: “I didn’t think twice about removing my turban to help the child, who was bleeding from the head.” It was his job to help, and religious protocols did not restrict his action in an emergency, he added.
After seeing that enough help was on hand already, Gagan Dhillon, a fellow Sikh on the scene, posted a picture of Harman Singh from the spot on Facebook, with the caption: “So proud of this young Sikh man who helped at a crash this morning where a child was hit by a car.” The injuries to the child were first thought to be life threatening but later the boy’s condition became stable. The serious crash unit of the Kiwi police is investigating the accident.
Turban is one of the five important symbols of Sikh faith, and on the accident scene, even as he had to take it off, the young man more than upheld its dignity.
