Sikh prayer books return to military after 100 years

For the archetypal clip successful a period regular supplication books person been issued to Sikh subject unit successful the British forces.

Major Daljinder Singh Virdee is successful the British Army and has spent 2 years campaigning for the change.

The supplication books, called Nitnem Gutkas, were issued by the UK Defence Sikh Network astatine a ceremonial successful London.

The Ministry of Defence said it hopes to "directly enactment Sikhs signifier a cardinal constituent of their faith".

The Nitnem Gutka's person been printed successful 3 languages successful durable and waterproof worldly to withstand the rigours of subject life.

The British Army Gutka has a camouflage cover, and the Royal Navy and RAF Gutka has a navy bluish cover.

Major Singh Virdee said helium uses his Nitnem Gutka 3 times a day.

"The Army has been providing Christian spiritual texts for galore years and I saw the accidental determination to unfastened the doorway for the Sikh religion to supply Sikh texts," helium said.

The Nitnem Gutka's were printed successful Wiltshire and placed connected a throne successful a purpose-built conveyance for Sikh scriptures.

They were transported to the room of the Central Gurdwara temple successful London, wherever they were officially issued to subject unit connected 28 October.

As chairperson of the UK Defence Sikh Network, Major Singh Virdee has spent the past 2 years connected the project.

"For Sikh's our scriptures are not conscionable words, they are the surviving embodiment of our guru. We gully motivation spot and carnal spot from speechmaking the scriptures each day, it gives america subject and it grows america spiritually," helium said.

Nitnem Gutka's were archetypal issued to subject unit much than a period ago, on with different articles of the Sikh religion including alloy daggers, bracelets and woody combs, but person ne'er been issued again since.

There is an archetypal military-issued Nitnem Gutka successful the National Army Museum's archives, successful London.

"I deliberation we tin safely accidental it's astir apt the earliest illustration of a Sikh Prayer Book from the First World War," said Alan Jeffreys, caput of instrumentality and azygous astatine the museum."It's an unthinkable example, and to past nether specified conditions, from 1914, it's a precise important entity and tells truthful galore antithetic stories. It's precise poignant."

He said Sikh soldiers were recruited to the British subject from the 1840s onwards.

"One of the main reasons is due to the fact that they'd fought truthful well, they had a martial tradition," helium said. "They were precise keen to reenforce the spiritual and martial traditions of the Sikh soldiers."

Satveer Singh Padam designed the caller mentation of the Nitnem Gutka and said helium wanted to incorporated humanities elements of the Sikh religion into the caller version.

"We've ever had symbolism of weaponry, it's portion of our history. We person antithetic weapons similar a curved leaf sword, oregon a treble edged dagger, each these mean a large magnitude successful Sikh history," helium said.

A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: "By providing a Nitnem Gutka for serving Sikhs crossed the UK MOD we anticipation to straight enactment Sikhs signifier a cardinal constituent of their religion wherever they question and enactment successful immoderate conditions."

Major Daljinder Singh Virdee added: "The happening that volition mean the astir to maine is erstwhile a Sikh volition instrumentality this with them passim their career, and it's a mode for them to link to their faith. That for maine is the biggest reward that I could inquire for."