The Armed Forces Hindu Network had organised their Rakshabandhan celebrations, third year in a row, at the Ministry of Defence Headquarter, on Monday 24 July 2017. This year Rakshabandhan is on 7 August and this Monday's event was a precursor to many other celebrations organised by them in early August, especially in Hindu temples of Swindon, Newcastle, Liverpool and London.
The afternoon was a symbol of the strong bond of protection between the community and Armed Forces existing in the society, and was attended by members of different faiths including Hindus, Sikhs and Jews. Chief Guest was The Right Honourable Earl Howe, Minister of State for Defence and Deputy Leader of the House of Lords.
Members of the Hindu Forum of Britain, Hindu Council UK, Metropolitan Police Hindu Association, Harrow Safer Neighbourhood Board as well as the wives of the Defence personnel from the High commission of India were present at the event to celebrate the occasion. The afternoon started with Prayers from Acharya Krishnakant Attri, who has been a Hindu Chaplain for the last 12 years. Major Ashok Rao hosted the event along with Ashok Kumar Chauhan MBE, Warrant Officer, the Royal Army.
Every officer from the Armed Forces present at the event were tied a rakhi (a thread of protection) on their wrist, the first recipient being Lord Howe himself and received a gift of chocolate. Minister of Lords The Rt Hon Earl Howe gave a speech to those gathered in which he insisted that this Government is committed to recruiting 10 per cent of personnel from minority communities by 2020. The total number of Asians in the Armed Forces is around 2,580 as at 1 April 2017.
Also in attendance were the Chief of Defence People Lieutenant General Richard Nugee and the Director of Submarine Capability Rear Admiral Tom Hodgson.
Speaking about the ties and values shared between the community and the Armed Foces the Rt Hon Earl Howe said, “ As we exchange our multi-coloured bands, it’s a unique opportunity to remind ourselves of the multifaceted ties that bind our great Hindu community and our Armed Forces together.
First there are ties of history. This year we remember the service and sacrifice of the thousands of Hindus who fought in the mud and blood of Passchendaele.
“We reflect too that, during the course of the Great War, some three quarters of a million Hindus deployed overseas in the British Indian Army, earning 8 VCs and fighting in every theatre from the Western Front to East Africa, from Egypt to Mesopotamia.
“We also recall more than1.25 million Hindus who played a pivotal role in the Second World War, liberating the oppressed from Nazi evil. And 35 years on from the Falklands conflict, we pay tribute to the likes of 24-year-old Sapper Pradeep Kumar Ghandi…a Royal Engineer from 59 Independent Commando squadron…attached to 45 Commando…who paid the ultimate price in helping the Falklanders win back their freedom.
“Yet there are other ties. Ties which perhaps go some way towards explaining the remarkable courage of those Hindus who chose to fight in the Great War... a struggle on distant shores far from home.
“Today we see our shared values under threat…from terrorism and state-on-state aggression…from cyber-attack and hybrid warfare. To defend ourselves we must unite: speaking up for those beliefs of tolerance, fairness and dignity, that make us who we are. Indeed, that’s what the Armed Forces Hindu Network will be doing in their Raksha Bandan tour of Hindu temples in Newcastle and Swindon, Liverpool and London, at the start of August.
“Yet that commitment to unity must encompass our military too. For we are your Armed Forces and the more diverse our society becomes the greater the imperative for our organisation to reflect the communities it serves.
“We are privileged to have more than a thousand Hindus, both Regular and Reserve, doing their bit to defend our nation around the globe. And I’m very pleased over the past year to see Hindu membership in the Regular Army increasing. It’s testament to your sense of duty.
“But knowing what our diverse communities bring only makes us ambitious for more. Indeed this Government is committed to recruiting 10 per cent of personnel from minority communities by 2020...”
He added, “We also need to demonstrate our Armed Forces are places of altruism, ambition and aspiration. That we want scientists as well as soldiers, medics as well as marines, programmers as well as pilots. The Armed Forces is its own universe. You can do a galaxy of different jobs here while still seizing the opportunity to reach the stratosphere. Not only metaphorically – liberating the oppressed, bringing humanitarian aid to the suffering, and stabilising fragile nations – but literally – by working in some of our space-age divisions.
“If you've got the talent there's no limit to how far you can fly. Today our highest ranking Hindu is a Colonel. There's no reason why we shouldn't one day have a Hindu General, Admiral or Air Marshal. Maybe a Hindu Defence Minister or even Secretary of State...Today let’s take our Rakhis and vow to keep strengthening the ties that bind us. We are stronger together and in a more dangerous world, we will rely ever more on our bands of brotherhood to light the way and dispel the darkness.”
