Palo Alto, CA – Art historian Shivi Singh Legha discussed the art of wearing a turban in a lecture titled “Exploring Styles, and Wearing the Turban with Pride” at the Palo Alto Art Center on Friday, Dec. 16, 2022. The lecture on the history of turbans, sponsored by the Society for Art & Cultural Heritage of India (SACHI), explored the differences in Rajasthani, Mughal, and Silk turbans. For example, every 24 miles the turban styles change in Rajasthan, Singh Legha told the audience. Following the lecture, Legha’s husband, Dr. Prithvi Singh Legha, and their two sons, Nirbhay Pratap and Abhay Pratap, demonstrated the art of wearing a turban.

Art historian Shivi Singh Legha at her lecture, “Exploring Styles, and Wearing the Turban with Pride” for the Society for Art & Cultural Heritage of India (SACHI) at the Palo Alto Art Center in Palo Alto, Calif. on Dec. 16, 2022. Photo: Sree Sripathy for India Currents/CatchLight Local.
Nirbhay Pratap ties a turban on his brother Abhay Pratap after, their mother Shivi Singh Legha’s lecture on turbans. Photo: Sree Sripathy for India Currents/CatchLight Local.
Nirbhay Pratap ties the base fabric of another turban variation on his brother Abhay Pratap after, their mother Shivi Singh Legha’s lecture on turbans. Photo: Sree Sripathy for India Currents/CatchLight Local.
Nirbhay Pratap and brother Abhay Pratap look at the cloth their father, Prithvi Singh Legha (left), holds during their turban demonstration. Photo: Sree Sripathy for India Currents/CatchLight Local.
Prithvi Singh Legha ties a different style of turban on his son, Abhay Pratap, during the turban demonstration. Photo: Sree Sripathy for India Currents/CatchLight Local.
Prithvi Singh Legha ties a different style of turban on his son, Abhay Pratap, during the turban demonstration. Photo: Sree Sripathy for India Currents/CatchLight Local.
Prithvi Singh Legha affixes a kalgi on his son Nirbhay Pratap’s turban demonstrating what a Sikh groom might wear on his wedding day. Photo: Sree Sripathy for India Currents/CatchLight Local.
Prithvi Singh Legha affixes a kalgi on his son Nirbhay Pratap’s turban demonstrating what a Sikh groom might wear on his wedding day during a turban demonstration. Photo: Sree Sripathy for India Currents/CatchLight Local.

Sree Sripathy joined India Currents as a staff photographer and CatchLight Local Fellow as part of CatchLight's California Local Visual Desk program in June 2022. Reach out with story ideas or comments...