TGIF Feature: Sikh brothers shaved beards to join yhe frontline fight against the coronavirus

Dr. Sanjeet Singh-Saluja before (top photo) and after he decided to shave his beard required of Sikh adherents so he can treat coronavirus-afflicted patients.

ASAM NEWS

You may have noticed that many Sikh men grow out their beards. That’s because in Sikhism, allowing one’s hair to grow out naturally is considered respect for God’s creation or kesh.

Brothers Sanjeet and Rajeet Singh-Saluja are two Sikhs who also happen to be doctors in Montreal, Canada. Keeping their beards would have meant not being able to wear facemasks properly and safely. It would have also meant not being able to fight on the frontlines against the coronavirus.

"We could choose not to work, but in a time when healthcare workers are falling sick, we would be adding stress to an already taxed system," Sanjeet said in a video posted by the McGill University Health Centre.

"We could decide to simply refuse to see COVID-19 patients until viable protection is available to us, but that goes against our oath as physicians and against the principles of sewa," he continued.

So they decided to follow another Sikh value -- one of sewa, or selfless service. They both cut off their beards, reports Upworthy.

“It was an extremely difficult decision for us, but one that we felt was absolutely necessary in this time of need,” Sanjeet Singh-Saluja said to the National Post. “It’s a decision that has left me with much sadness. This was something that had been so much part of my identity. I look at myself in the mirror very differently now. Every morning when I see myself, it’s a bit of a shock.”

Sanjeet said he didn’t want the publicity, but when he saw the impact their decision had on everyone, they agreed to take part in the video below.

“Because COVID-19 has become so rampant in our community, it just wasn’t feasible anymore (not to wear a N95 mask). There are so many people coming in. I felt I just couldn’t sit on the sidelines. This was an exception to the rule, so we had to do what we had to do to help out.”

Heroism and sacrifices comes in many forms. Merci, doctors Saluja.

TGIF Feature: YouTube star Lilly Singh is burned out and is taking a mental health break

SCREEN CAPTURE / YOUTUBE

Popular YouTuber Lilly Singh needs a break, she says.

AFTER EIGHT YEARS, one of the most popular content creators on YouTube is taking a break.

Lilly Singh, AKA "Superwoman," needs a vacation. In a video (of course) she made it clear that she's not quitting YouTube, the video platform that made her one of the world's most popular YouTubers.

“I am mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually exhausted,” she told viewers in her video. “I think there’s a lot going on up here that I need to address that I’m not able to, constantly pumping out content.”

"I want to be honest with you, I could be happier," she says. "I'm not my optimal happiness right now, I could be mentally healthier. I don't feel like I'm completely mentally healthy. There's a lot going on up here that I need to address and I'm not able to constantly pumping out content."

I'm familiar with that feeling. After 28 years in journalism, most of it as an editor, I've seen reporters burn out at the constant need to produce content for the never-satisfied "Daily Beast.," whether it be a story, a brief, a caption, an expose exposing corporate graft or marking a centenarian's birthday.

The constant pressure to produce grew as the corporate media moguls gobbled up family-owned newspapers. Reporters felt like they were simply cogs in a machine.

In Singh's case, despite the glory and fame that came with her YouTube channel, the pressure seems to be self-inflicted. Singh admitted that she's not been happy with some of her latest content.

She's run into a wall that's iimpacted other content creators. They aren't paid by YouTube for all their hard work, n some cases, risk-taking. That has led to criticism of exploitation. However, YouTube offers them a platform for which they can become famous and that could lead to monetary benefits through sponsorships and endorsements. In Singh's case, some estimate her worth around $16 million.

The Canada-born Singh, 30, is the daughter of Sikh immigrants. She began vlogging in 2010, singing, rapping, just being funny. Her videos have received over 2 billion views, and her channel has accumulated over 14 million loyal subscribers, who feel they have a personal relationship with someone who is funny, creative, rich and famous.

Singh admits that she doesn’t fully understand YouTube’s current culture, which has drastically changed over the years. “I haven’t been super happy with a lot of the content I’ve created,” she says.

“You know, the thing about YouTube is that, in all of its glory, it kind of is a machine," she continued in her video. "And it makes creators believe that we have to pump out content consistently, even at the cost of our life and our mental health and our happiness because if you don’t, then you’ll become irrelevant.” Some of the content she makes, she adds, is “because I think I have to on this platform that demands constant content, but it’s not really a reflection of me.”

Singh emphasizes that she's not leaving YouTube but says she’s unsure how long she’ll be away. “I hope you know that I really need this for my sanity, for my happiness, and to just be better,” she says.

WATCH more of Lilly Singh's videos.____________________________________________________________________________________

People Acting Stupid: Oops! Sikh asked to remove turban was a Canadian gov't official

CBC /SCREEN CAPTURE

Navdeep Bains, Canada's Minister of Innovation, Science and Edonomic Development

AN OVERZEALOUS U.S. airport employee asked Navdeep Bains, a Sikh, to remove his turban before boarding his flight home to Canada.

Bains, Canada's Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, was at the Detroit airport about to board his flight back to Toronto when he was asked to return to security where he was asked to remove his turban.

Bains told Canadian newspaper La Presse on that late last year, Transportation Security Administration agents at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport repeatedly asked him to remove his turban, even after he reached his boarding gate. He said he was finally allowed to fly after he showed agents his diplomatic passport.

“I was very frustrated and disappointed that this occurred, but ultimately I was allowed to fly,” Bains told The Associated Press. “But it was because of who I was, and that should not be the case. It doesn’t matter what your status is and what your position is.”

Sikh men wear a turban as a sign of devotion to their faith. Because the men also often wear beards and are often mistaken as Muslim.

Bains passed through the Detroit airport's X-ray screening and even cooperated in giving agents a swab test. He was at the gate area about to board his flight when an agent asked him to return to the screening area. It was there that the agent insisted that Bains remove his turban.

It was then that Bains showed him his passport indicating his diplomatic status. He was allowed to board his flight.

Canada has more Sikh ministers than any other country in the world. In the 2015 election, 20 Sikhs were elected members of parliament and four – Bains, Harjit Sajjan, Amarjeet Sohi and Bardish Chagger – were appointed as federal ministers.

Canada’s foreign minister complained about the Bains incident to officials at the U.S. Homeland Security and Transportation departments, reported CBC. Bains said he accepted those officials’ apologies.

TSA spokesman Mike England told Huffpost that the department reviewed closed-circuit video of the incient and found the screening agent did not follow proper procedures. The officer has been given additional training.

However,vEngland said in an e-mail that all travelers wearing head coverings may be subjected to additional security screenings to ensure that prohibited items are not concealed beneath the clothing. He said passengers who are unwilling to remove headwear for religious, medical or other reasons should expect to undergo additional screenings, which may include officer-conducted or self-conducted pat-downs.

In 2007 the TSA updated its protocols to allow passengers to keep turbans on during security screenings.

A spokesperson from the Sikh Coalition, an advocacy group, that according to current TSA rules and regulations, Sikh passengers may pat down their own turbans or refuse to remove their turbans in public.

“The kind of discrimination Canadian Minister Navdeep Bains experienced in a Detroit airport is completely unacceptable,” the coalition’s legal director, Amrith Kaur, told HuffPost. “Profiling not only stigmatizes communities, but it also makes our nation less safe because it redirects resources away from detecting and preventing actual criminal behavior.”

"As a Sikh, wearing the turban is considered one of the most dutiful acts for a person of the faith and I am proud to represent my community. Unfortunately these types of incidents do occur from time to time to minorities in particular. But it should never become the norm,” Bains said in a statement. “I will continue to promote diversity and inclusion across the country as our government has done since we took office. It is exactly why I ran for office.”
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