Why Sikhs bear steel
QUESTION What article of faith requires male Sikhs to wear a dagger?
THE Sikh faith is the fifth largest world religion with more than 25million devotees. It was founded in 1469 by Guru Nanak. A main tenet is adherence in the teachings of the religion’s founders, The Ten Gurus, from 1469 to 1708.
Guru Gobind Singh called upon all dedicated members of the Sikh brotherhood and sisterhood (called the Khalsa) to wear the five articles, called Kakkars or Five Ks, following their Amrit initiation into the faith.
These Five Ks are in themselves articles or demonstrations of faith. Sikhs who are initiated into the Khalsa commit to follow the rehit maryada or Sikh code of conduct. This includes a daily discipline of meditation and prayer and the wearing of the Five Ks to demonstrate their faith. They are: 1. Kesh: Uncut hair symbolising acceptance of God’s will. The hair must be kept covered at all times with a keski or dastaar (turban or head covering), representing spiritual wisdom. 2. Kangha: A wooden comb representing self-discipline, worn in the hair to keep it in place. 3. Kara: An iron or steel bracelet worn on the wrist. The circle signifies the oneness and eternity of God. 4. Kachhera: A cotton undergarment representing high moral character and restraint. 5. Kirpan: A stylised representation of a sword, 6in to 9in long. It must be worn sheathed, restrained in a cloth belt and next to the body. The kirpan signifies the duty of a Sikh to stand up against injustice. The Punjabi word kirpan has two roots: kirpa, meaning mercy, and aanaa, meaning honour. J Singh, Peterborough.
QUESTION Were leaves on the line a problem during the age of steam?
NO, for two reasons. First, because of the way the driving force is applied to move the train. This is best illustrated by comparing a steam locomotive pulling a number of coaches with a modern electric multiple unit (EMU).
The steam loco has to apply all the driving force to pull the entire train of coaches through the wheels on the loco itself. A steam loco is naturally heavy, but if it wasn’t, weight would have to be added or the driving wheels would simply spin without moving the train. This can happen if the driver opens the regulator too far when starting off.
An EMU doesn’t have a separate loco. Instead the electric motors that drive the wheels are distributed among the carriages and the drive can be applied to all the wheels on each carriage.
Since the carriages with their electric motors are much lighter than a steam locomotive, then the weight on each driving wheel is much less than on a steam locomotive. This is held to be good as it means less track wear and tear.
But if the track is contaminated with something, such as wet leaves, then the greater weight of the steam loco can squash through them and grip the track while the lighter EMU may simply spin its wheels and not move the train.
Both types of train have means for sprinkling sand on the track to improve the grip, but this works better on the heavier steam engine. And the other reason? At one time, railway companies employed gangs of men to cut down trackside vegetation to prevent sparks from the steam engines causing fires, particularly on embankments and in cuttings.
It was not appreciated at the time that this also reduced the risk of getting leaves on the line.
In these more ecologically sensitive times, railway companies have to tread a fine line between keeping the trains running and destroying increasingly threatened wildlife habitats.
Denis Sharp, East Sussex.
QUESTION In the Sixties cigarette TV advert with a voice-over saying, ‘You are never alone with a Strand’, who was the actor in a white mac, and what else did he appear in?
THIS was English actor Terence Brook. Born on February 10, 1924, he starred in many well-known TV shows including The Colditz Story (1955), The Punch And Judy Man (1963), The Last Of The Mohicans (1971) and Doctor Who (19751984). His wife was actress Pamela Craig. Brook died of a heart attack on October 4, 1990, at his home in Warwick. Pamela Craig is known to Archers fans as Betty Tucker, a role she played for 31 years.
The chosen method of Betty’s death in 2005, a series of heart attacks, brought back harrowing memories. She said: ‘I was with him [Brook] when it happened, just after a meal. I couldn’t get it out of my mind when I was acting out Betty’s first attack.’ Francine Storey, Halifax.