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{{short description|Religious practice; in Sikhism the practice of allowing one's hair to grow naturally out of respect for the perfection of God's creation}}
[[File:Sikh man, Agra 10.jpg|thumb|A Sikh man wearing a [[turban]]]]
[[File:Sikh Boy wearing Rumal.jpg|thumb|A Sikh boy wearing a [[rumāl]]]]{{Sikhism sidebar}}
In [[Sikhism]], '''kesh''' (sometimes '''kes''') is the practice of allowing one's hair to grow naturally out of respect for the perfection of God's creation. The practice is one of [[The Five Ks|The Five Kakaars]], the outward symbols ordered by [[Guru Gobind Singh]] in 1699 as a means to profess the [[Sikh]] faith. The hair is combed twice daily with a [[Kanga (Sikhism)|kanga]], another of the five Ks, and tied into a simple knot known as a ''joora'' or ''rishi knot''. This knot of hair is usually held in place with the kanga and covered by a [[turban]].

The 52 commands of Guru Gobind Singh written at Hazur Sahib at Nanded in the state of Maharashtra, mention that the kesh (hair) should be revered as the form of the Satguru (eternal guru) whom they consider as the same as god. For this reason by practitioners they are kept with the utmost respect. This includes regular maintenance of hair which includes but is not limited to combing at least twice daily, washing regularly and not allowing for public touching.

==Significance==
Kesh is a symbol of devotion to God, reminding Sikhs that they should obey the will of God.

Bhai Nand Lal, who was a well respected poet in the court of the 10th Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, wrote in [[Persian language|Persian]]:<ref name="HR Gupta Book">{{cite book |last1=Gupta |first1=Hari Ram |title=History of The Sikhs - The Sikh Gurus 1469-1708 |publisher=Munshiram Memorial Publishers |location=New Delhi |page=275 |edition=2008 |isbn=978-81-215-0276-4|year=1984 }}</ref>
<blockquote>''Nishān-e-Sikhī ast īn Panj harf-e kāf,
''Hargiz na bāshad azīn panj muāf,

''Kara, Karad, Kacha, Kanga bidān,
''Bina kesh hēch ast jumla nishān.''</blockquote>
[These five letters of K are emblems of Sikhism.

These five are most incumbent;

Steel bangle, big knife, shorts and a comb;

Without unshorn hair the other four are of no significance.]

By not cutting hair, Sikhs honour God's gift of hair. Kesh combined with the combing of hair using a kangha shows respect for God and all of his gifts.
So important is Kesh that during the persecution of Sikhs under the [[Mughal Empire]], followers were willing to face death rather than shave or cut their hair to disguise themselves. The people are devout; not cutting their hair is/has been an emblem of their goodwill.

==Modern trend==
[[File:Sikh patka.PNG|thumb|right|150px|A Sikh boy wearing a [[patka]]]]
In modern times the trend of short hair has encroached upon this tradition. It is estimated that half of India's Sikh men have abandoned the turban and cut their unshorn hair. Reasons include simple convenience (avoiding the daily combing and tying), because their parents cut their hair and they decided to get their hair cut as well, and social pressure from the mainstream culture to adjust their appearance to fit the norm.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/29/world/asia/29turban.html Young Men Get Haircuts, Annoying Their Elders]. ''[[New York Times]]''. March 29, 2007.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121024084853/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2006-10-30/india/27819991_1_turbans-uncut-hair-sikh-youths 'Pagri not very attractive, out of tune with times']</ref>

===Harassment===
After the [[September 11, 2001 attacks|attacks]] of September 11, 2001, [[Sikh]]s in the West have been mistaken for [[Muslim]]s and subjected to [[hate crime]]s. [[Balbir Singh Sodhi]], a Sikh living in [[Mesa, Arizona]], was shot to death on September 16, 2001, when he was mistaken for a Muslim.<ref>{{cite news|title=Indian Immigrant Killed in Ariz.; Man Charged in Slaying and 2 Other Attacks; Racism Suspected|work=Washington Post|date=September 17, 2001}}</ref>

In 2007, an 18-year-old [[Pakistan]]i, Umair Ahmed, forcibly cut the hair of a 15-year-old Sikh boy Harpal Vacher in a US school. In 2008, he was convicted by the jury of "second-degree menacing as a hate crime, second-degree coercion as a hate crime, fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, and third-degree harassment,"<ref>[http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1154952 Pakistani faces 4 years in jail for cutting Sikh's hair]</ref> and was sentenced to probation, community service, and completion of a tolerance program.<ref>[https://www.timesledger.com/stories/2008/25/astoria_times_newselmhurstte06122008.html Elmhurst teen avoids jail for cutting off Sikh’s hair]</ref>

In 2009, Resham Singh, a Punjabi student in [[Melbourne, Australia]], was attacked by a group of teenagers who tried to remove his turban and cut his hair.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/indians-abroad/Aussie-teens-try-to-cut-Sikh-youths-hair/articleshow/4719298.cms |publisher=Times of India|title=Aussie teens try to cut Sikh youth's hair|date=June 30, 2009}}</ref>

In 2010, Basant Singh, a Sikh youth in [[Penang]], Malaysia woke up discovering his hair was cut by 50 cm when he was asleep in his dormitory while serving the [[Malaysian National Service]] Training Programme. The incident traumatised the youth and is under probe ordered by the Defense Ministry.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/1/19/nation/7822618&sec=nation |work=The Star |title=Minister orders probe into 'cutting' of Sikh boy's hair |date=January 19, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110122031832/http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=%2F2011%2F1%2F19%2Fnation%2F7822618&sec=nation |archive-date=January 22, 2011 }}</ref>

In September 2012 a member of [[reddit]] uploaded a picture of Balpreet Kaur, a young Sikh woman, mocking her facial hair. She responded in a calm manner, explaining the reason behind her appearance and the original poster apologized. It then went viral.<ref>{{cite news|title=The Sikh woman who stood up to online abuse about her facial hair|url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2012/sep/26/sikh-online-abuse-facial-hair|publisher=The Guardian|access-date=27 September 2012|location=London|first=Rosie|last=Swash|date=September 26, 2012}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20071010044119/http://allaboutsikhs.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=942 Hail Hair by Dr Birendra Kaur in All About Sikhs]
*[http://www.sikhnet.com/sikheducation/5K's.pdf PDF on the 5 Ks from Sikhnet]
*[https://www.google.com/search?q=navtej+kathuria&safe=strict&sxsrf=ALeKk00Fctp5dGOfpBUxJ54fH19OGdNGwg:1602352821721&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjZiPm1zarsAhWDv54KHWNECZAQ_AUoAnoECAsQBA&biw=1585&bih=803#imgrc=hEljAPyyaBRy7M]

{{5Ks}}
{{sikhism}}

[[Category:Sikh terminology]]
[[Category:Sikh religious clothing]]
[[Category:Punjabi words and phrases]]
[[Category:Shaving]]

Kesh (Sikhism) - Revision history

CleanupBot: Robot: Replacing encoded entity with character

Glorywebs: General cleanup and improvements

>KH-1: Reverted edits by 24.80.91.69 (talk) to last version by Acolossus