I just Found a great anecdote in a book full of anecdotes of course and that to from those of Pakistan navy.It is of Course utterly hilarious and amusing at the same time The book it is taken from is called the "More Bubbles of Water" written by Rear Admiral Mian Zahir Shah a great shout out to him for giving us a great topic and letting me hopefully retell a good story to the civilians as well as the formers.
Saying Grace
Our course in Dartmouth started in September 1948., which was just over a year after the partition of Pakistan. In those days everything was rationed in the UK.we had com from HMPS Bahadur (Her Majesty Pakistan Ship) in Karachi Where we used to have 2 eggs for breakfast - every day, but here we only got eggs... per week!! And this, I had to marvel, was the country which had won the war! But the amazing thing was that nobody grumbled because they all very well knew that, like them the King George the sixth was also having 2 eggs per week.
In the college there was a chief cadet every day in rotation; and one of his many duties was to formerly say grace before dinner. Grace was the standard: "For what we are to receive may the good Lord make us truly thankful".
One day it was my turn for saying grace and I surprised the hall by saying loudly in Arabic "Bissmillah Irrahman ur Rahim" meaning "In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the most Merciful".
There were some confused and hesitant Amens in response.
The Indians of course could not be outdone by a Pakistani. When it was the Indian cadet to say grace he recited a Hindu prayer in Sanskrit. This stirred things even further and then the African Cadet were waiting there turn to say a prayer of course in Swahilli and there also happened to be a Buddhist Cadet who was also eagerly waiting.
But soon the commander gathered us and gave us a good old bottle(a naval term for a harsh lecture usually in a form of insult)on how the subject of what language grace was to be said in Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth.After that of course things came back to normal and Grace was always said in the Language of the host country.
As related by MN Enver, Rear Admiral Retired
From the More Bubbles of Water by Rear Admiral Mian Zahir Shah.
There were some confused and hesitant Amens in response.
The Indians of course could not be outdone by a Pakistani. When it was the Indian cadet to say grace he recited a Hindu prayer in Sanskrit. This stirred things even further and then the African Cadet were waiting there turn to say a prayer of course in Swahilli and there also happened to be a Buddhist Cadet who was also eagerly waiting.
But soon the commander gathered us and gave us a good old bottle(a naval term for a harsh lecture usually in a form of insult)on how the subject of what language grace was to be said in Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth.After that of course things came back to normal and Grace was always said in the Language of the host country.
As related by MN Enver, Rear Admiral Retired
From the More Bubbles of Water by Rear Admiral Mian Zahir Shah.
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| Rear Admiral Mian Zahir Shah |
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