Darsh Singh's Jersey displayed at Smithsonian's "Beyond Bollywood" exhibit: First turbaned sikh NCAA Basketball player Honoured

Darsh Singh

“Beyond Bollywood” an exhibit showcasing how Indian Americans have shaped the nation was opened on Thursday by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C.

Darsh Singh, an Indian American, was the first NCAA’s turbaned Sikh American basketball player and he recently gave an interview regarding the struggles and rewards faced by him by being true to both his athletic talents and his religion.

Darsh said, “When I reflect on how hard my parents worked and hard their parents worked to support my life here in America, I feel extremely thankful. Our generation stands on the shoulders of the giants who came before us. I’m looking forward to the future and how the Sikh community can achieve at even higher levels in the future.”

Once a bench-warmer at the Trinity University he rose to being the co-captain while in his senior year, however this journey of Darsh had many obstacles that he needed to overcome.

When asked more about playing at the Trinity University, and how was he treated by his compatriots and seniors seeing the turban and beard on Darsh?

Darsh Singh replied:

Trinity is part of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, and we played most of our games in small towns in the South. Many people in those towns had never met a Sikh, and some people would shout hateful things at me during games. I remember them yelling things like “Go back to your country!” or “Cut your hair!” I wasn’t too affected by these comments because I’ve been dealing with them my whole life. The amazing thing for me was watching how quickly and passionately my team mates would jump to my defense.