the [dot] | what it [dot] be

Everyone at what it [dot] be ® would like to welcome Dharam Khalsa to the underground talent table. I met this talented cat years ago in the streets of NYC. He has always had his heart in skateboarding, to the point of not really giving a shit about what you think his skateboarding is. I can remember one particular time, when Dharam busted through the door of a homies crib. He had just got done with a session, and was just ecstatic about the fact that he learned switch tre flips. The homie was so happy about it, and that energy would rub off on you. I guess it’s times like that which make me want to write about homies on the [dot]. I can tell you he had held it down for a good couple of years in the city before moving back to Texas. Always getting a clip and always impressing the early two thousand lurkers of NYC with his down to earth style. If you dont know Dharam, then you’re about to get your dose of “who he [dot] be”.

words by Alex Raspa

who he [dot] be — Dharam Khalsa

I gotta ask homie, what’s the deal with your name Dharam, what does it mean?

My name basically means to be in the act of traveling on the path of enlightenment.

I know you’re from Austin, Texas, and I met you in NYC, but I remember back in the day you telling me about living in India?

Yeah, at 10 years old I got shipped out to India to go to boarding school for about 2 years. When I got out there, I got involved with learning about the religion Sikhism, and just going to school. At first, I didn’t want to go to India or to boarding school. I was too young and intimidated at the time, but it was good for me in the long haul.

“Sikhism’s traditions and teachings are distinctively associated with the history, society and culture of the Punjab. Adherents of Sikhism are known as Sikhs (students or disciples).” -Wikipedia

Where’s the best place you’ve been? Why?

Amritsar, India… Harmandir Sahib… the Golden Temple… it would take too many words here to describe but believe me… it is indeed awe inspiring…

Can you tell me a little bit more about India, and the Golden Temple?

It is an Ashram, a holy temple. The most holy temple for Sikhs. And the temple is located in Amritsar, which is in the Punjab region. It’s a Sikh state, it’s kinda like a Sikh area in the north east part of India.

He then takes out his mallet and hits the gold flat till he makes a perfectly symmetrical paper thin gold leaf. They put this gold right on the temple like paint on the outside of your house and for like the last 400 hundred years it has been going on.

The Golden Temple is so amazing, there is so much history there. The temple itself is plated in pure gold, and it’s in the middle of a reservoir which is about a 100 meters by a 100 meters. White marble walkways, everything leading up to the temple is marble, and the foundation is marble. People come, bow before the Guru and make a donation. They donate money, jewels, rings, etc. Then they take anything from the donations that has gold in it and they throw it in a pot and boil it. All impurities rise to the top of the water, and the pure gold falls to the bottom. Gold is heavier then any other metals. They take the pure gold that is now melted and pour it in these 8 inch long by 1 inch wide wooden trays. The homie Sikh takes a knife and cuts this long piece of Gold into sections about a half inch by a half inch long, and then puts the piece of gold in his leather book made with pages of leather. He then takes out his mallet and hits the gold flat till he makes a perfectly symmetrical paper thin gold leaf. They put this gold right on the temple like paint on the outside of your house and for like the last 400 hundred years it has been going on. That temple is amazing. I used to be a “Seva” there, which is a selfless worker and the reason I got to watch them make the gold. It’s just helping out… everyone helps and everyone is taken care of… no empty stomachs, just helping out so to speak. On any giving day the Golden Temple feeds about 3 thousand people, 3 times a day, everyday for a year for free.

“The Golden Temple is located in the city of Amritsar, which was established by Guru Ram Das Ji, the fourth guru of the Sikhs, and is, also due to the shrine, known as Guru Di Nagri meaning city of the Guru.” -Wikipedia

Also around this time was when I met Guru (Khalsa) who was also a student at the same school. He was probably around six. Crazy small world, when I ran into him in Houston and in Austin again, the homie was ripping already. He went to school there longer than I did since when we both changed schools, I didn’t go back. We meet up again around when I was 21 or 22, skating some contest. Damn that was a fun contest and now that I think about it, the homie is ripping these days… keep it up Guru.

I guess that explains the same last name? Does the school change your last name? How come you guys got the same last name? How does that work?

We have the same last name because of the way our parents chose to learn Sikhism… it is a more devout and deliberate way of practicing Sikhism… if you do it this way, then you take on the last name “Khalsa”.

So what’s a day in the life of Dharma like right now?

Pretty much wake up, get some tea, and find something to get into if I’m not working. I go to the skate shop and try to find some way to be productive with my friends…

That’s whats up, what do you find yourself skating in Austin, TX?

We have so many spots in Austin… there are the famous ones like 5 hip and Austin high ditch, but I love skating downtown and other random things I find throughout the city more.

What are some places to eat in your hood ?

mmmmm the tex mex baby… so good…

The top 3 songs if you had to chose that help you live proper in Texas?

hmmmm…

• “Mer du Japon” by Air….
• “Phantom Limb” by The Shins…..
• and “Doobie Ashtray” by Devin the Dude

Girls in texas are?

too much… too much.

Is there a skateboard deck you’re riding that you’ve been feeling right now? What’s your set up?

Roger Skateboards for sure… Roger board, Thunder trucks, Spitfire wheels, Bones swiss.

So let me ask you this, what… it’s been about 4 years ago now that you went back to Texas, was it because you missed family or just over the NYC?

I was over being there, I was using NYC’s power to empower me. I just got distracted by other things, and strayed from the path I should have taken.

But with the bad came the good? I remember hearing some good stories from you while you were kicking it in NYC.

Oh, yeah… it wasn’t all bad, the bad was all on me. I got some pretty good stories from living out there, and the jobs I did were pretty bananas.

You worked in set design, right?

Yeah, with Lurker Lou at times. That’s a solid homie.

the stress just leaves while I try to find something fun to do to distract me… I write “have fun” on the top of my skateboard… and it works, ha.

What kind of influence did NYC have on you?

Ha, out of all the places I have been, New York City influenced me the most.

Not in a good way either, but in a struggle kind of way. I got caught up in what other people wanted me to do I guess. I put too much pressure on myself and it affected every part of my life. Kinda stressed on it, and it lead me to stop skating in NYC. I took the fun out of it . Now I’m out here in Austin, and I got myself back to having fun, I’ve been able to enjoy myself and what I’m doing. If I could of had this perspective in NYC, more real, more fun, I feel I would have gotten a lot more done there. Today I hardly stress like I use to, when I can’t land a trick I’ll go skate a curb cause I can skate the curb and have fun. Ya know what I mean, and then the stress just leaves while I try to find something fun to do to distract me… I write “have fun” on the top of my skateboard… and it works, ha.

One thing though that NYC did teach me was how to skateboard. How to street skate. Man, I miss ripping down those streets. Now it would take me awhile to get that comfortable again. Sometimes in Austin, I look for that NYC, but it’s not the same, it’s different . There’s San Fran, there’s London, and there’s L.A., but there is no place like NYC. Nothing else like it.

I remember a story you telling me about how you met Kool Keith?

Ha, Kool Keith was a cool ass dude, very polite. He introduced himself as Kool Keith, like ‘how you doing today? …my name’s Kool Keith, nice to meet ya’ …haha. Yeah, I remember the first time I met Jeru too, chilling in front of Max Fish, drinking on the sidewalk with James Mcguniness. We were chilling all day… been drinking and it was night time by now. James taps me on the shoulder and is like ‘yo Dharam, I want you to meet my homie Jeru.’ He just started chilling with us while we drank on the sidewalk next to The Fish. Good times.

‘yo Dharam, I want you to meet my homie Jeru.’ He just started chilling with us while we drank on the sidewalk next to The Fish.

So then Jeru, Kool Keith, James, set design work, then you end up dipping back home. Was it weird at first being back home?

A little bit, but I just started working, and got braces on my teeth. I’ve been doing that and skating… so much fun to skate here now. Spots and homies to skate with are second to none.

Yeah, Austin looks tight. Who are some of the other heads out there now on the come up, who impress you style wise, and just know how to kick it?

Flint Brewer, Max Taylor, the Bus, Graham Mchelroy, Grant Jensen, and Brandon Boehm.

How did you get hooked up with this NO Comply Skateshop? I took a look at their website, they look like a proper Texas homie shop.

Well, it was originally Jake Nunn and Simon and Elias Bingham together but Jake left and now it’s just Simon and Elias… all 3 are my homies so naturally when they opened up a shop I just volunteered myself, ha.

Yeah, that’s the best when it’s homies together running something, and the rest just falls into place. So what else is going on besides the skateboarding, how you gonna take over?

Ah, shoot, ah… I’m going back to school, learning more of how the world works and how I can affect it in a postive way.

What school, and what are you going for?

Austin Community College, and mostly going to learn how to teach my brain to learn better… and for photography.

How did you get started in photography?

I had a personal project one day in mind that I wanted to do. It was about taking photos of old standing structures. Like vacant old buildings and having natural living things in or around the structure. A dead structure next to a living one. You could put a person in the structures too, standing with their back to me. But I never did that project, ha… anyways… I picked up my sisters camera, and just started using it from there. It’s a 35mm Cannon that was collecting dust, so I asked her for it.

It’s not a good feeling to see a picture in front of you and not be able to have a camera to take that moment. To see things through the cameras lens is totally different, and especially to know how to manipulate the setting on a 35mm can be really cool. Right now I use the 35mm and color slide film in it. Slide film is a different picture than 35mm negative film and when you get to using slide film you have to be really fine tuned with your settings.

Your going to school and changing jobs. It sounds like your at a time of really trying to find what it is you like to do with yourself. Would you like a photography job one day?

It would be awesome to have a photography job. I don’t use flashes though, which is a big deal. In photography I just use natural light the best way that I can. I try to translate my eye to the cameras eye. It’s a good way to take pics but I need to learn more. Thats why I am back at school. I guess I actually found a good reason to go back.

Cool, are there any other projects you got going on, any skate projects in the works?

“Devils Toy”… Calvin Millar and Flint Brewer… I’ll have a full part.

Where would you like to travel?

For sure Europe…

Got any shout outs, anyone you would like to thank in life?

My family and friends for influencing me and looking out for me… I love you.

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who he [dot] be conducted by Alex Raspa

Questions by Alex Raspa