what is the headgear that indian men wear?

[DavidBuie]

it looks like a durag but it's kind of not one. im sure it's probably the muslims or maybe hindu guys that wear it. whenever ive seen it, only young guys wear it. it looks like it's made of material like that of stockings or pantyhose. it kind of has a bulge at the top too. like a durag with a bulge at the top. minus all the strings to tie the durag with. lol does anyone know what im talking about?

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi David, is this a militaria related question?

But I think this headgear is actually worn by young Sihks before they later wear the Turban.

Cheers, Ade.

[CMc]

Hi, I think Adrian's right, I seem to recall that being a Sikh garment called a 'patka'. I'm not sure if there are hard and fast rules on who can wear what sort of turban/headcovering, but Adrian's right that the patka style is more commonly seen amongst younger Sikhs of less traditional ideology and tradition, whereas older, or more traditional Sikhs may be more likely to wear a more traditional turban style.

Regarding militaria/reenactment etc, it's probable that a Sikh solider of either of the World Wars would've wore a more traditional turban rather than a patka, which is a somewhat modern tradition. Having said that Sikh soldiers, sailors, airmen etc in later time periods might have chosen to wear the patka, and even have their hair and beards cut to some extent, as this is considered more practical. There have been various legal challenges in the UK and elsewhere from Sikhs who had been ordered by a military or police organisation to cut their hair and beards and wear the appropriate helmet rather than a turban, but in some cases their right to stick to their traditions has been upheld, and as far as I know during the World Wars Sikh servicemen of the British Empire were often allowed to go without a helmet and wear a turban instead of the regular uniform headgear.