Patka is a Sikh headgear ''in lieu'' of the full Sikh turban. It is worn by young Sikh boys and sportsmen to cover a small topknot called '' joora'' which sits at the top of their head. Patka is a square piece of cotton, usually with four strings (one attached to each corner) for tying.How Do You Tie a Patka?
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Patka in sports

Patkas are commonly tied by sportsmen due to their stability, especially those playing

Cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

and

Field Hockey Field hockey (or simply referred to as hockey in some countries where ice hockey is not popular) is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with 11 players in total, made up of 10 field players and a goalk ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. Some choose to wear a

bandana A kerchief (from the Old French ''couvre-chef'', "cover head"), also known as a bandana or bandanna, is a triangular or square piece of cloth tied around the Human head, head, face, or neck for protective or decorative purposes. The popularity of ...

tied with a (typically black) Patka cloth, tying a bun behind their head instead of a

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

joora (at the top of their head) and tying the bandana over it creating a look resembling a durag instead of tying a Sikh patka. This is commonly tied by cricketers such as Monty Panesar and Harbhajan Singh, but is not a Sikh patka (since the Sikh religion mandates tying hair on top of the head, tying a bun behind instead does not fit this definition for a

head covering) In 2014 there was a row with

FIBA The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French language, French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. FIBA defines the rules of basketball, specifies the Basketball equipment ...

about two Sikh Indian players, Amritpal Singh and Amjyot Singh wearing patkas during the

FIBA Asia Cup The FIBA Asia Cup (formerly the FIBA Asia Championship and ABC Championship) is an international basketball tournament which takes place every four years between the men's national teams of Asia and Oceania. Through the 2015 edition, the t ...

. In 2017 FIBA lifted the patka ban. In 2018 Indian wrestler Jashkawar Gill was denied the participation in a tournament in Turkey for his refusal to replace his patka with a women-style tying of hair allowed by the United World Wrestling rules.Headgear 'Comes in the Way' of This Wrestler's International Debut
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References

{{reflist Indian headgear Religious headgear Sikh religious clothing Turbans

Patka in sports

See also

References