The prayer books have been printed in three languages in durable and waterproof material to withstand the rigours of military life, says a BBC report
London: For the first time in 100 years Sikh military personnel in the UK have been issued Daily Sikh prayer books, called the Nitnem Gutka, an IANS report in The Tribune, Chandigarh, says.
A BBC report says the prayer books have been printed in three languages in durable and waterproof material to withstand the rigours of military life.
While the British Army Gutka has a camouflage cover, the Royal Navy and RAF Gutka have a navy blue one.
Major Daljinder Singh Virdee of the British Army, who has spent two years campaigning for the return of the books, said on Wednesday, November 9 : “The Army has been providing Christian religious texts for many years and I saw the opportunity there to open the door for the Sikh faith to provide Sikh texts.”
Nitnem Gutkas were printed in Wiltshire and placed on a throne in a purpose-built vehicle for Sikh scriptures.
They were transported to the Central Gurdwara library in London, where they were officially issued to military personnel on October 28, the BBC reported.
UK Defence Sikh Network chairperson, Major Singh Virdee, said: “For Sikhs our scriptures are not just words, they are the living embodiment of our guru. We draw moral strength and physical strength from reading the scriptures every day, it gives us discipline and it grows us spiritually,” he said.
There is an original military-issued Nitnem Gutka in the National Army Museum’s archives in London.
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