大象传媒

Most of us don't get to celebrate grand achievements very often once we leave school or university. Opportunities as an adult to be victorious in tests, sports and the arts are few and far between. We make do by celebrating the victories of others, basking in the glory of hard-fought battles and seemingly insurmountable challenges. But I've found a way to combine my own achievements as a constructive member of society and reflect past glories that I want to celebrate, in something quite particular.

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Everyday before I leave my house, I take about ten minutes to tie my turban. It鈥檚 been a part of my daily routine since I was sixteen years old and whether I鈥檝e been going out to study, work or play, it is something I take great pride in. Most people who look at me here in the UK will see the turban and not think too much of it, but behind the wrapping of this 4m cloth around my head is a very significant meaning.

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In South Asia, where the Sikh way of life originates from, rulers and revered thinkers have commonly worn the turban for many hundreds of years as a symbol of their authority and divinity. When the Sikh founder Guru Nanak was born in the Punjab, he preached a message of universal emancipation and of freedom from a worldly rule that pitted one man as sovereign over another. To reflect this principle he and his Sikh followers adorned turbans making a bold statement about the freedom of each individual to be ruler over their own destiny.

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Sikh men and increasingly some women who want to show their commitment to the Sikh way of life adorn turbans in much the same way today. Customs may have changed and we might no longer be in the Punjab, but to wear the turban is emblematic of a Sikh's duty to help our fellow man and be easily recognisable. My turban is my crown; it is a celebration of everything that I believe in and of all those who have gone before me. It is a glorious part of my identity of which I am reminded every day when I look into the mirror and tie it anew.

In the run-up to 2Day Vanessa will have an orchestral or choir-themed word each day.

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Today's is pizzicato,听which refers to string instruments that are picked instead of bowed, with the exact technique varying somewhat depending on the type of stringed instrument

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