28-year-old Sarwan Singh took off his turban in order to use it to rescue a troubled dog from an irrigation canal in Punjab, India.
A video shows Mr Singh heroically climbing down the steep banks of the canal and then using his turban, one of the holiest items in the Sikh religion, for the rescue.
Sarwan said: “I was travelling when I saw a group of men pointing towards the canal. I stopped my car and went over to check what was happening. I was shocked to see that there was a dog drowning but no was actually helping.”
Sarwan, who cannot swim, decided to make use of his turban in a final effort to help the dog.
“The moment I started taking off my turban, people watching around were shocked. They thought I was disrespecting my faith,” recalled Sarwan.
“But what was important at that point was to save the animal’s life.”
Wearing a turban is one of the five articles of faith in Sikhism. It is a principle of Sikhism that one can only take off their turbans at home or whilst bathing.
With the help of some witnesses, Sarwan succeeded in reaching the canal by holding his turban, which he utilized as a rope. He used the remaining part of his turban to grip onto the dog.
“The dog wasn’t comfortable. He was not coming to me at all. We had to follow him for around 200 metres before I was able to wrap my turban around his neck and pull him to safety,” he said.
“The dog was frightened, so I fed him some biscuits and let him go on his own.”
