RobbieS
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I am reproducing a post that I read a couple of days back on BR by a senior war veteran. These are real heart warming incidents in the most secular army in the world. Kudos to the bravehearts. 
*******************************************************
As a serving army officer, I never stop marvelling at the
gullibility of our countrymen to be provoked with alacrity into virulence in the
name of religion. I have never heard the word 'secular'
during all my service -- and yet, the simple things that are done simply in the
army make it appear like an island of sanity in a sea of
hatred.
In the army, each officer identifies with the
religion of his troops. In regiments where the soldiers are from more
than one religion, the officers -- and indeed all jawans
attend the weekly religious prayers of all the faiths. How many times
have I trooped out of the battalion mandir and, having worn my shoes, entered
the battalion church next door? A few years ago it all
became simpler -- mandirs,
masjids, gurudwars and churches began to share premises all over the
army. It saved us the walk.
----------------------------------
Perhaps it is so because the army genuinely believes
in two central 'truths' -- oneness of god and victory in
operations. Both are so sacred we cannot nitpick and question the
basics.
In fact, sometimes the army mixes up the two! On a visit to the holy cave
at Amarnath a few years ago I saw a plaque mounted on the side of the hill by a
battalion that had once guarded the annual Yatra. It said, 'Best wishes from -....- battalion. Deployed for Operation
Amarnath.
-------------------------
On another instance, I remember a commanding officer
ordered the battalion maulaviji to conduct the proceedings of Janamashtmi
prayers because the panditji had to proceed on leave on compassionate grounds.
No eyebrows were raised. It was the most rousing and best-prepared
sermon on Lord Krishna I have ever had the pleasure of listening to.
-----------------------
On the Line of Control, a company of Khemkhani Muslim soldiers replaced a
Dogra battalion. Over the next few days, the post was shelled heavily by
Pakistanis, and there were a few non-fatal casualties.
One day, the junior commissioned officer of the company, Subedar Sarwar Khan
walked up to the company commander Major Sharma and said, "Sahib, ever since the
Dogras left, the mandir has been shut. Why don't you open it once every evening
and do aarti? Why are we displeasing the gods?"
Major Sharma shamefacedly confessed he did not know all the words of the
aarti. Subedar
Sarwar Khan went away and that night, huddled over the radio set under a
weak lantern light, painstakingly took down the words of the aarti from the post
of another battalion!
-----------------------
How many of us know that along the entire border
with Pakistan, our troops abstain from alcohol
and non-vegetarian food on all Thursdays? The reason: It is called the Peer day
-- essentially a day of religious significance for the Muslims.
-------------------------
In 1984, after Operation Bluestar there was anguish in the Sikh community
over the desecration of the holiest of their shrines. Some of this anger and
hurt was visible in the army too.
I remember the first Sikh festival days after the event -- the number of
army personnel of every religious denomination that thronged the regimental
gurudwara of the nearest Sikh battalion was the largest I had seen. I distinctly
remember each officer and soldier who put his forehead to the ground to pay
obeisance appeared to linger just a wee bit longer than usual. Was I imagining
this? I do not think so. There was that empathy and caring implicit in the quality of the
gesture that appeared to say, "You are hurt and we all
understand."
------------------------
We were deployed on the Line of Control those days. Soon after the news of
disaffection among a small section of Sikh troops was broadcast on the BBC,
Pakistani troops deployed opposite the Sikh battalion
yelled across to express their 'solidarity' with the Sikhs.
The Sikh havildar shouted back that the Pakistanis
had better not harbour any wrong notions. "If you dare move towards this post,
we will mow you down."
-------------------------------
Finally, a real - and true- gem.
Two boys of a Sikh regiment battalion were overheard discussing this a day
before Christmas.
"Why are we having a holiday tomorrow?" asked Sepoy Karnail Singh.
"It is Christmas," replied the wiser Naik Gurmeet Singh.
"But what is Christmas?"
"Christmas," replied Naik Singh, with his eyes half shut in
reverence and hands in a spontaneous prayer-clasp, "is the guruparb of the Christians."
*******************************************************
As a serving army officer, I never stop marvelling at the
gullibility of our countrymen to be provoked with alacrity into virulence in the
name of religion. I have never heard the word 'secular'
during all my service -- and yet, the simple things that are done simply in the
army make it appear like an island of sanity in a sea of
hatred.
In the army, each officer identifies with the
religion of his troops. In regiments where the soldiers are from more
than one religion, the officers -- and indeed all jawans
attend the weekly religious prayers of all the faiths. How many times
have I trooped out of the battalion mandir and, having worn my shoes, entered
the battalion church next door? A few years ago it all
became simpler -- mandirs,
masjids, gurudwars and churches began to share premises all over the
army. It saved us the walk.
----------------------------------
Perhaps it is so because the army genuinely believes
in two central 'truths' -- oneness of god and victory in
operations. Both are so sacred we cannot nitpick and question the
basics.
In fact, sometimes the army mixes up the two! On a visit to the holy cave
at Amarnath a few years ago I saw a plaque mounted on the side of the hill by a
battalion that had once guarded the annual Yatra. It said, 'Best wishes from -....- battalion. Deployed for Operation
Amarnath.
-------------------------
On another instance, I remember a commanding officer
ordered the battalion maulaviji to conduct the proceedings of Janamashtmi
prayers because the panditji had to proceed on leave on compassionate grounds.
No eyebrows were raised. It was the most rousing and best-prepared
sermon on Lord Krishna I have ever had the pleasure of listening to.
-----------------------
On the Line of Control, a company of Khemkhani Muslim soldiers replaced a
Dogra battalion. Over the next few days, the post was shelled heavily by
Pakistanis, and there were a few non-fatal casualties.
One day, the junior commissioned officer of the company, Subedar Sarwar Khan
walked up to the company commander Major Sharma and said, "Sahib, ever since the
Dogras left, the mandir has been shut. Why don't you open it once every evening
and do aarti? Why are we displeasing the gods?"
Major Sharma shamefacedly confessed he did not know all the words of the
aarti. Subedar
Sarwar Khan went away and that night, huddled over the radio set under a
weak lantern light, painstakingly took down the words of the aarti from the post
of another battalion!
-----------------------
How many of us know that along the entire border
with Pakistan, our troops abstain from alcohol
and non-vegetarian food on all Thursdays? The reason: It is called the Peer day
-- essentially a day of religious significance for the Muslims.
-------------------------
In 1984, after Operation Bluestar there was anguish in the Sikh community
over the desecration of the holiest of their shrines. Some of this anger and
hurt was visible in the army too.
I remember the first Sikh festival days after the event -- the number of
army personnel of every religious denomination that thronged the regimental
gurudwara of the nearest Sikh battalion was the largest I had seen. I distinctly
remember each officer and soldier who put his forehead to the ground to pay
obeisance appeared to linger just a wee bit longer than usual. Was I imagining
this? I do not think so. There was that empathy and caring implicit in the quality of the
gesture that appeared to say, "You are hurt and we all
understand."
------------------------
We were deployed on the Line of Control those days. Soon after the news of
disaffection among a small section of Sikh troops was broadcast on the BBC,
Pakistani troops deployed opposite the Sikh battalion
yelled across to express their 'solidarity' with the Sikhs.
The Sikh havildar shouted back that the Pakistanis
had better not harbour any wrong notions. "If you dare move towards this post,
we will mow you down."
-------------------------------
Finally, a real - and true- gem.
Two boys of a Sikh regiment battalion were overheard discussing this a day
before Christmas.
"Why are we having a holiday tomorrow?" asked Sepoy Karnail Singh.
"It is Christmas," replied the wiser Naik Gurmeet Singh.
"But what is Christmas?"
"Christmas," replied Naik Singh, with his eyes half shut in
reverence and hands in a spontaneous prayer-clasp, "is the guruparb of the Christians."
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