Mr Singh International aims at infusing a sense of pride in the turban amongst Sikh youngsters.

WHAT is common between Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and hotelier Vikram Singh Chatwal? Or cricketer Harbhajan Singh and singer Daler Mehendi? Besides carving a niche for themselves in their respective fields, they are also the true Punjab de puttars (sons of Punjab).

It was to reinforce this pride in being a Sikh, as well as to provide a platform for the Sikh youngsters to go onto the world of international fashion, whilst keeping their identity intactly, that the Akal Purakh Ki Fauj organised the Mr Singh International contest on October 2 at Royal Connaught Boat Club. Nearly 30 participants from Pune, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad took part in the much-appreciated show.

While the contest was divided in three rounds, most of the contestants walked the ramp or faced the audience for the first time. The first round - Ni Maye Sikh Sone Lagde (Oh! Mother, the Sikh looks charming) was based on ramp walk and over-all physique of the participant. The second round - Gurmat Gyan Sikh Da Maan (Knowledge of Sikhism is a Sikh’s pride) had participants handle a volley of questions on Sikhism from the judges. While the third round Meri Dastar Meri Shaan, Meri Pehechan (My turban—my pride, my identity) was judged on the basis of how a turban was tied.

Explains Parampal Singh, one of the judges and members of the organising committee, “They’re not professional models, so we do not expect them to know everything. Almost all the participants are self-taught, we are judging purely on the basis of their over-all presentation.”

As far as the unique concept of Mr Singh International is concerned, Singh explains, “Recently in France when the issue of turban came up, we thought we needed to tackle this situation without protesting.Through this contest we want to tell the world that the turban is more than a five-metre cloth for us.” Also, the true inspiration of the contest was Jaspal Singh Sehgal, who was the first runner-up from Mumbai at the Mr India contest held recently. “Look at him, he achieved a lot without trimming his hair, that’s precisely what we want to propagate!” states Singh.

The talent round had some of the contestants dance to the beats of Dhol bajda or sing lines from Bulla Ki Janaa by Rabbi Shergill. Says Jatinder Singh, one of the participants from Jammu and Kashmir, “While preparing for the contest, I crammed up everything that I could about my religion. This was a good exercise for me.” Shares another participant, Baljeet Singh, from Pune, “I participated in this contest because I wanted to represent Sikh community in a better light. These days, young Sikh boys have no role models!’’

The winners
Mr Photogenic
- Ranpreet Singh, Mumbai

Mr Best Turban
- Charanjeet Singh, Mumbai

Mr Talent
- Jagpreet Singh, Mumbai

Mr Over All
- Parminder Singh, Pune

Parminder Singh along with Gurbhej Singh, also from Pune have been selected to go to Amritsar along with six others from various parts of the country.

Source : Pune Newsline