UK’s Royal Navy appoints Himachal Pradesh cadet as first-ever Hindu chaplain

London, Aug 19 (PTI) The UK’s Royal Navy has appointed its first-ever Hindu chaplain, the first non-Christian to be appointed for the official role of offering spiritual support to fellow naval officers based on the tenets of Hinduism.

Bhanu Attri, originally from Himachal Pradesh, took over his new role last week after undergoing a somewhat different course from other Navy cadets.

He went through six weeks of officer instruction, including sea survival with four weeks at sea aboard the warship HMS Iron Duke, and three weeks focused on the role of a military chaplain.

“To become the first-ever Hindu chaplain in the fleet is a profound honour,” said Attri.

“As a Hindu brought up in India, the chance to represent individuals from other diverse religions brings meaningful representation for the Hindu community and reflects the Navy’s commitment to diversity, inclusion, and spiritual care for all,” said the 39-year-old.

“My family feels immense pride, a pride grounded in generations of faith, service, and resilience,” he said.

The Hindu Council UK (HCUK) welcomed the move after proposing Attri as fitting the criteria for the role: personal fitness both physical and mental, principled in faith and philosophy, reflective and pastoral; professional eligibility of education equivalent to Hindu scriptural degree level and post accreditation experience in leadership capacity, with a sound sense of spirituality and interfaith relations; and general outlook for integration into the British culture and having good English communicative skills.

“The training can be arduous, which requires medical fitness standards, ready for duty 24/7 at short notice,” said HCUK’s Anil Bhanot, Hindu Advisor to the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD).

“MoD careers are sometimes neglected by our Hindu youth and we will try and do more community meetings at temples to raise awareness. British Hindus have settled here from all corners of the world, and although our spiritual bhoomi (land) is India, our karmabhoomi is the United Kingdom and MoD represents our protective arm,” he said.

Attri was among 148 new officers among the so-called “leaders of tomorrow”, including warfare specialists, engineers, overseas and all cadets who joined from civilian life who completed their “Initial Officer Training” last week.

After up to 29 weeks of demanding instruction at Britannia Royal Naval College (BRNC) in Dartmouth, south-west England, they transformed from civilian to sailor and formally passed out at a BRNC ceremony in front of friends, family and senior naval officers.

“We live in a perilous world and as a service we must respond to the challenges to our nation’s security, also with confidence – and that means we need people like you that can offer leadership of the highest quality,” said Andrew Burns, Vice-Admiral and the Royal Navy’s senior operational commander who was the guest of honour at the ceremony.

“There is no greater commitment than to serve your country, and to lead others to do the same,” he said.

The training is designed to teach the basics of serving in the military, such as drill and uniform, through the fundamentals of leadership, seafaring, naval history and strategy.

In addition to extensive time in the classroom and on the parade ground, cadets head out on to Dartmoor to learn and develop leadership and teamwork skills, spend time at sea aboard an operational warship, and conduct training on specialist Vahana boats on the River Dart and in the English Channel.

“Commissioning into the Royal Navy is a moment none of us forget, and it has been a privilege to follow these officers through their training. What awaits is a life of duty and frontline service,” said Captain Andy Bray, Captain Britannia Royal Naval College. PTI AK RD RD