Harvey found a familiar voice in the kitchen. Two actually. Randy was chatting with Satvinder, thought it looked like Randy was carrying the conversation. Satvinder would throw a word in and politely nod as he listened. The difference between the two was staggeringly clear when next to each other. Randy's muscular form and athletic wear was complimented by the sporty black turban Harvey tied on him, further establishing his jock bro look. Satvinder was a stick by comparison. Though as Harvey watched, it seemed to be more to Satvinder. His blue turban and the red keski underneath matched the blue and red of his plaid shirt. In fact, the tall morni pagg style of his turban complimented his slim face, showing that Satvinder had at least some sense of style. Harvey himself opted to wear a yellow patiala shahi style turban. "There you are".
"Harvey!" Randy greeted, "come meet my new friend. His name is uh... Sa-Sammy?"
"Satvinder" the young man sheepishly corrected.
Great, Randy was already embarrassing him. Randy had some way of latching on to the quieter types. That's how he and Harvey became friends after all. "What are you doing back here?"
"Just socializing" Randy put a strong arm around Satvinder "Sat and I were talking about a work out plan. Do you see how skinny this guy is? Haha! But I'll bet if he gets as big as me he'll be getting all of the hot mamas!"
"Dude! You said you'd be on your best behavior!" Harvey glared at Randy and then turned his attention to Satvinder, "I'm sorry about him, he means well".
"It's okay" Satvinder smiled sympathetically, "It was nice having someone to talk to" Randy released his grip on Satvinder, who began speaking to Harvey in a hushed tone, "I have a few white friends like Randy, sometimes they don't realize what they're saying can be offensive to people like us. Especially when talking about our turbans".
"People like us...?" Harvey's expression turned quizzical.
"Yeah, we're both- unless you're whi..." Satvinder stuttered, realizing he'd said another faux pas, "but you've got" he motioned at his face, "and you're" he gestured at the top of his head"
"Hey, hey, it's alright" Harvey grabbed Satvinder's hands and set them down, trying to get him to relax, "Sure, Randy will make some stupid remarks about my turban too. But I'm glad he made the effort to wear one tonight. It shows me he cares. Right Randy?"
"What?" Randy asked, showing he wasn't listening. He was barely able to talk with his mouth stuffed.
"Hey! Gurpreet said we're not suppose to eat yet!" Harvey made Randy set down the rest of the food he was holding.
"What's the big deal? There's enough food in here to feed everyone 20 times over."
"The big deal is it's rude. Come on, let's get out of the kitchen". Harvey, Randy, and Satvinder walked back to the main meeting hall where Mandeep and Gurpreet were standing in the middle surrounded by a circle of the other members.
"Thank you everyone for joining us" Mandeep exclaimed "we are about to commence the Sikh Student Coalition's first initiation event".
"For our initiation ceremony" Gurpreet continued, "we thought there would be no better way than to emulate an Amrit Sanchar".
"For those unfamiliar, Amrit Sanchar is like a baptism or Sikh initiation" Mandeep added.
"Unlike a real Amrit Sanchar, we're going to adapt it into vows to uphold the mission of our organization, so I hope you all have fun with it. If having a real Amrit Sanchar is important to your faith, we'll be discussing ways to participate in this ceremony in the west at our next meeting".
"Now, can all the new members come to the center with us?"
Harvey, Satvinder, and a few other members walked up to Gurpreet and Mandeep.
"We will begin with washing the hair, an important requirement prior to any Amrit Sanchar" the new members untied their turbans, a few chuckled at the faux authenticity. Mandeep and Gurpreet assisted the students in washing their hair in a large bowl. The shampoo slid down harvey's hair and face, leaving behind a Raven black color in his hair. Once it reached the ends, it kept falling down revealing longer hairs. His hair flowed far down his back. Harvey's new beard was straight and dense. Having never been cut, it extended down to his collar with a rounded square shape. His mustache extended past the width of his mouth and curled up to his cheeks. He seemed to be the type who put extra care into grooming his beard, much like he use to groom his pompadour.
Gurpreet and Mandeep continued their speech, as though they hadn't noticed the transformation that took place before them. They discussed the Sikh Student Coalition's influence throughout its years on campus. How they had worked with administration and student government to ensure that the university would continue to provide classes on Sikh culture and ensure that the campus was a safe space for Sikh students. "As members of the Sikh Student Coalition" Mandeep said, "You vow to continue the legacy of the alumni who came before you, and to spread knowledge of the Sikh identity across the campus." The new students affirmed this vow. They repeated "Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh" as Gurpreet sprinkled holy water on their faces. Harvey wiped the drops off, revealing darker brown skin, pink lips, and a slightly more hooked Punjabi nose. Now dry, the new student retied their turbans.
"The intiation ceremony is complete!" Gurpreet announced "Please welcome our new members!" The crowd applauded. "Now, feel free to eat the great food in the kitchen!"
"That was kinda fun, Harpinder. Ready to eat?"
"You know it" Harvey said, recognizing his new name. The two walked back to Randy who was standing in the crowd.