For families in Massachusetts’ small Sikh community, those lessons are part of a broader effort to keep traditions alive while children grow up in American schools and culture. Parents and young people describe a balance shaped by pressures to fit in, concerns about discrimination and differing expectations within the community itself.

“Investing a lot of time” is part of raising children with a connection to Sikhism, said Talvinder Singh, a 45-year-old Melrose father of two. His family makes attending the gurdwara on Sundays a priority. He wants his children to learn the faith’s teachings, while emphasizing kindness and humanity over forcing them into religious practice.

Sikhism began in northern India about five centuries ago. Its founder, Guru Nanak, rejected the Hindu caste system and taught belief in one God. Massachusetts has only a few thousand Sikhs and four gurdwaras, but members say visible articles of faith — including turbans and uncut hair — can draw unwanted attention.

Ramanjit Singh, a teacher at the Medford temple, said volunteers have limited time to teach children compared with the hours they spend in school. Earlier generations of immigrants were often occupied with earning a living and establishing themselves, he said. Passing on traditions remains difficult, with successes and setbacks alike.

Recent hostility toward Sikhs elsewhere in the country has heightened those concerns. In 2025, a Sikh truck driver was accused in a Florida crash that killed three people. In September 2026, the Department of Homeland Security posted an image targeting a Sikh man in a turban and beard amid a campaign against undocumented truckers. Days later, Sikh trucker Gurvinder Singh was stabbed 17 times at a Wyoming rest stop.

Nikki, a nurse who asked to be identified by her nickname because she fears professional consequences, said she came to the United States from India 21 years ago believing it offered equality and respect. She said she has noticed a change in attitudes and that colleagues began looking at her differently after she started covering her hair in public in a style worn by Sikh women.

For some families, blending in has also meant leaving visible articles of faith at home. Balwinder Kaur, an Everett mother of three, said her late father stopped wearing a turban after moving to the United States. Her husband did the same after arriving about a year after the Sept. 11 attacks, when Sikhs were sometimes targeted because they were mistaken for Muslims. He worried that a turban could make it harder to find work, she said.

Kaur said her family remains connected to Sikhism and celebrates its holidays, even though she and her husband do not cover their hair. But she also feels judged by some Sikhs for not following outward expectations, and said that concern can keep her family from attending the temple regularly. She described the faith’s central lesson as treating people equally, regardless of their appearance or behavior.

At the Medford gurdwara, Talvinder Singh’s 16-year-old son, Ranveer, is choosing a more visible expression of his faith. A turban-wearing student at a Malden charter school, he said classmates sometimes mistake him for a Muslim. He uses those moments to explain Sikhism and sees his difference as a source of identity.

Ranveer plays tabla, a pair of hand drums, and hopes to study electrical engineering. He plans to bring both his drums and his turban with him to college. His father hopes his children will remain open to their traditions while finding their own paths.