Harvey took a look at his project form. He was assigned to become a member of the university's Sikh Student Coalition. Harvey didn't really know what a Sikh was, a quick search on his phone showed a bunch of Indian guys in turbans. He figured he had no choice but to learn more about them. The organization's meeting was that same day and Harvey headed to the meeting once was class was finished.
Harvey considered himself a typical white young man. He had an average build, clean shaven face, fair skin and sandy blonde hair that he styled into a tall pompadour. The Sikh Student Coalition's meeting was one of the few times he felt like the odd one in the crowd. The room was full of young Punjabi adults. All of the men, and some but not all of the women, were wearing turbans in various fashions and various vibrant colors. Though else than that they wore typical western clothing. One Sikh came to greet Harvey at the door. He was a large bear of a man who nearly towered over everyone in the room. An orange domalla style turban framed his round face. His kind smile was hidden beneath a twirled up mustache and a curly beard that sprawled down to his chest. He wore flannel, jeans, and boots.
"Hello, I'm Gurpreet Singh. Could you please sign in?" Gurpreet handed Harvey a clipboard with a sign in sheet. "I'm the new student coordinator, my job is to make all of our new members feel welcome. So if you need anything, please ask".
"Yeah, maybe you can help me" Harvey handed back the sign in sheet with his information "I'm here because of my cultural studies project. Someone's suppose to take my attendance or something".
Gurpreet called out to the crowd, " Hey, Mandeep, can you come here for a second?"
A man in a blue suite walked up to them. It looked like it was tailored to fit his slim build. His beard was rather short and had a natural point to it which accented his sharp facial features. He wore aviators and a black tie which matched his black keski style turban. "What's up Man, I'm Mandeep Singh. I'm the president of the organization, it's a pleasure to meet you" Mandeep reached his hand out for a handshake which Harvey accepted. "Say, don't I know you from somewhere?"
Harvey raised a questioning eyebrow before returning a knowing smile, "yeah, weren't we in the same marketing class?" Usually Harvey wouldn't remember anyone from his classes, but it would be hard to forget the only one wearing a turban, especially when he had such great style.
Gurpreet beamed, "This is great Harvey, you already have a friend here!" He turned to Mandeep, "Harvey is here from Dr. Martinez's class".
"Makes sense" Mandeep chuckled. The fact that Harvey was the only white guy in the room was not lost on him, "As president, Dr. Martinez has trusted me to verify that you complete all of the tasks in your project. As long as you follow my instruction I'll make sure you pass. I've got you marked down for attendance, Gurpreet do you have the patka?" Gurpreet pulled out a black cloth.
"Patka?" Harvey asked, "What's that for?"
"Didn't you read the project form? You're required to wear clothing that represents our culture when you're at our meetings. I asked Dr. Martinez if you could just wear one of our club shirts, but he insisted you wear a turban"
"Can't you just say I wore it?" Harvey looked at Mandeep pleadingly, who returned a sympathetic expression.
"I wish I could, but if I'm caught lying to faculty, our organization could get in trouble. I won't force you to wear it, but I don't think you'll pass if you don't".
"Fine" Harvey Sighed, "I'll wear it" Gurpreet Helped Harvey tie his hair into a bun at the top of his head and then tied the cloth around it into a patka style turban. A grouped of girls in the room giggled to themselves when they saw Harvey. He felt humiliated. When the meeting started Gurpreet sat next to Harvey and Mandeep stood at the front of the room to facilitate the meeting. Gurpreet would occasionally clarify words and phrases for Harvey that non-sikhs typically wouldn't know, though Harvey was only half paying attention. Once Mandeep declared that the Meeting was over, Harvey left and bolted to his dorm. He couldn't wait to escape that embarrassment.
That night when Harvey went to the bathroom to brush his teeth, he saw he was still wearing the turban in the mirror. "Oh god" he mumbled to himself. He forgot to take it off when he left the club meeting. So many people must have seen him wearing it when he was running back to his dorm. His face flushed red and he hoped that no one recognized him. Harvey quickly untied the cloth and his hair. In the mirror he also saw a shadow of facial hair. Strange as he thought he had shaved just that morning. He shrugged and decided he'd just have to shave again tomorrow morning. He stored the patka in his wardrobe for next week's meeting and went to sleep.