The words of the Hindu philosopher, author and religious teacher Swami Vivekanada resonated through last week’s Defence Hindu Religious Resilience Conference, held at The Armed Forces Chaplaincy Centre (AFCC).
The 19th century faith leader is remembered as a key figure in bringing Hinduism to the status of a major world religion, but fittingly, also as a champion of interfaith awareness.
This year’s event, organised by the Defence Hindu Network (DHN) saw members travel to Beckett House for three days of open and challenging discussions.
Guest speakers at this year’s event included Professor Nawal Prinja; an advisor to both the Ministry of Defence for nuclear submarines, and the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero and Mr Chandrakant Sharma, national coordinator of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh UK – one of the largest Hindu charities in the country.
Also attending were Defence Hindu Champion, Air Vice Marshal Maria Byford, and the High Sheriff of Wiltshire, Mr Pradeep Bhardwarj, who said:
Defence Hindu Chaplain Acharya Krishan Attri MBE said of the significance of the annual conference:
The Defence Hindu Network was founded in 2014 as The Armed Forces Hindu Network (AFHN) and renamed the Defence Hindu Network in 2019 to reflect its quad-service reach. DHN works to support single service Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) teams as well as offering advice and assistance to chains of command on issues affecting Hindu personnel, including regular and reserve service personnel, MOD civil servants, veterans, and their families.