A photo of a Sikh neuroscientist from the Californian state of San Diego donning a rainbow-hued turban is going viral on social media.
On June 1, Jiwandeep Kohli shared a photo on Twitter of his colourful rainbow turban along with an inclusive message to mark the beginning of Pride Month, celebrated in the US, to recognise the impact that the LGBTQ+ community has had in the world.
The picture has since garnered over a million likes and over 15,000 retweets and has received all kinds of admiration from netizens on the micro-blogging site.
And of course, the rarity of a Sikh man celebrating Pride Month didn’t go unnoticed by the Sikh community many of whom were to credit him for representing the LGBTQ+ followers of the religion.
Even former US President Barack Obama chimed in with his compliments for Mr Kohli’s show of support for the LGBTQ+ community and his Pride-themed turban.
Mr Kohli clarified that he had worn the turban to the Pride March last year, but he decided to repurpose it to kick-off Pride 2019.
In an interview with BuzzFeed News, he said he was inspired to create a multi-coloured turban after he spotted another Sikh man at a pride parade wearing a similar turban.
Replying to a spate of inquiries about how he managed to design and tie the turban, Mr Kohli explained that he took a normal black turban and supplemented it with strips of other colours in exactly the right places.
“Took about an hour of tying, untying, and safety pinning, but totally worth it!” he wrote in his reply to one social media user.
Reacting to the overwhelmingly positive tweets, Mr Kohli wrote that he was “enamoured” by the attention he has received in the past few days.
But to those asking him if they could get their own rainbow turban, he responded saying that he wouldn’t want to give an impression that he was just wearing his turban as an ‘accessory.’
“A turban is a sign to the world that you're a person the world can turn to for help," Mr Kohli told BuzzFeed News.
When he not scanning brains, the researcher spends his time honing his baking skills.
He was once a contestant on ‘The Great American Baking Show’ and also runs a website called Bearded Baker Co, where he showcases his culinary prowess.
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