AFVOA Newletters of Year 2004

Page 137 of 153 VSM and his wife with whom we had tea. In her charming manner she enquired of many veteran officers of Chennai, including Col Krish, who, according to her, spoke better Dogri than they did. 76. The trip was both enjoyable and memorable. What impressed us most was the warmth of reception which we received everywhere in spite of my having retired so long ago and the camaraderie displayed towards us.. VIVA THE INDIAN ARMY. (Contributed by Lt Gen C Sundara Rao, PVSM) People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well neither does bathing - that’s why we recommend it daily. ~ Zip Ziglar The FIVE K’s of Sikhism 77. With a large population of Sikhs in the Armed Forces, the readers would definitely know that Guru Gobind Singh introduced a unique form of baptism, by asking every Sikh to observe Kesh, Kanga, Karra, Kachcha and Kirpan or more commonly known as the five K’s. It is worth recalling the symbolism of these K’s, more so as only recently the birthday of the first Guru - Guru Nanak was observed. The baptism is known as ‘Amrit’ and the Sikhs are asked to wear certain outfits as a matter of Sikh discipline or uniform. This uniform consists of five articles of faith called “KAKKAAR”. They are: a) Kesh means hair. A Sikh should treat his hair as a gift from God himself. Keeping long hair confirms a Sikh’s belief in the will of Almighty. b) Kanga means comb. Just as a comb helps remove the tangles and cleans the hair, a Sikh is reminded to get rid of any impurities of thought by repeating ‘naam’ (God’s name). c) Karra literally means as link or bondage. It is a special steel bracelet, which is worn on the right hand wrist like a wedding ring. The Karra is the Guru’s own symbolic ring to all His Sikhs signifying their unbreakable link or bond with the Guru as well as among themselves. d) Kachcha is a pair of shorts. This special slightly longer type of underwear is symbolic of continence and a high moral character. e) Kirpan is a sword, which comes from the word ‘ kirpa ’ and ‘ aan ’. Kirpa means an act of kindness, a favour; and aan means honour, respect, self-respect. Thus for Sikhs, kirpan is the symbol of power and freedom of spirit. (Source: Life Positive July 2004) Three men died on Christmas Eve and were met by Saint Peter at the Pearly gates. “In honor of this holy season,” Saint Peter said, “you must each possess something that symbolizes Christmas to get into heaven.” The first man fumbled through his pockets and pulled out a lighter. He flicked it on. “It represents a candle”, he said. “You may pass through the pearly gates”, Saint Peter said.