The concept of a chaplain evolved in the West into a service within the military and then into an institution of general spiritual guidance
by Nisha Singh, Ph.D.
I am privileged to be among the first qualified inter-religious Hindu chaplains. A few years ago, I would never have thought of a formal role as a Hindu chaplain in a society so far removed from where my life began. Doing this, alongside being a full-time healthcare scientist, mother and wife, was challenging.
My journey started in South Africa, where I was a fourth-generation Indian. My great-grandparents left India in the 1880s, brought by ship to work in South Africa as indentured laborers. This was around the same time that Mohandas Gandhi also found himself in this country, at the beginning of his career. There are considerable gaps in the history of what happened to my ancestors after the indentured period in the colonies, but ship documentation indicates our link to North India.
My ancestors brought with them their Hindu spiritual heritage, and fostered and cherished it despite the hardships they faced in near captivity. My earliest memories are of my parents. We did not know any relatives or friends living in India. Yet, the flame of Hindu dharma that had been passed down from our great grandparents’ generation endured and gave us the cultural coherence to survive the apartheid regime and flourish despite it. Various Hindu vernacular schools and cultural centers were established much later, and South Africa soon developed a thriving Hindu pulse by celebrating fasts and festivals and spiritually supporting other dimensions of life. We owe much gratitude to our parents, schoolteachers and spiritual leaders who united in preserving Hindu dharma for future generations.
My introduction to spiritual care happened mid-career. After receiving professional science education and experience in South Africa, I migrated to Australia with my husband and two young children. I immersed myself in my professional work for the next decade and a half. Then, I learned about and joined the Hindu Spiritual Care Institute (HSCI), based in California, which welcomed and nurtured learners regardless of origin or current domicile. Their graduate certificate designating one as a “Counselor of Hindu Traditions” was stimulating and thought-provoking. A fellowship provided by the Motwani Jadeja Family Foundation later offered Hindus an opportunity to enroll in the Inter-religious Chaplaincy program at the Graduate Theological Union (GTU) in Berkeley. As one of the first recipients of this award, I was initially nervous about how such a seemingly Christian chaplaincy concept would apply to Hinduism. However, I was soon reminded that Sanatana Dharma does not hold barriers to caring and learning.
Several issues stood out as I surveyed the life of contemporary Hindus living in secular diaspora countries. Loneliness and depression among the aged were no longer the domain of Westerners. Hindu women are more empowered than before and contribute to the family’s income using their knowledge and career skills. The intergenerational family structure has diminished over time, and children educated in a secular setting have limited access to community-based or vernacular schools.
Hindu marriages are a prime example. They are increasingly cross-cultural or cross-racial, and pre-marriage guidance and the use of English explanations in ceremonies are hard to find. The guidance of chaplains can be significant for blending the traditional with the contemporary and letting the guests feel more intimately included in the ceremonies.
Gender diversity and mental health concerns affect the Hindu community, as do the problems of workplace discrimination. And yet, few adequately trained Hindu chaplains serve in hospitals, workplaces, education, correctional services, aged care, etc.
HSCI’s dean, Gaurav Rastogi, described the societal shifts underway in the Western world and how this creates a demand for inter-religious Hindu chaplaincy, a term specifically promoted by GTU. He said, “The idea of a Hindu chaplain is naturally inter-religious. Hindus in the diaspora countries constitute under five percent of the local population, so there won’t be enough demand to hire a chaplain who exclusively serves the Hindu demographic. A Hindu chaplain employed at an institution in these countries must serve non-Hindus and ‘Nones’—meaning those who state their religious affiliation as ‘No religion specified.’ We are following GTU’s lead in using the word inter-religious as a prefix.” This principle of the chaplaincy developed in the last century and holds for chaplains of all religions serving in a multi-religious setting, such as the military, without an intent to convert anyone.
Gaurav continued, “This is a unique opportunity to serve humanity and further mainstream Hindu spiritual care everywhere. Hindu spiritual practices such as yoga and meditation have become universally accepted. The Hindu worldview of a universal family makes it natural for Hindu chaplains to perform their services to all, naturally and dutifully. In the coming decade, we anticipate inter-religious chaplaincy taking sound footing everywhere, even in India.”
Inter-religious chaplains, firmly grounded in their own faith, serve others in line with the care seekers’ beliefs. They are thus versed in trauma-informed care, spiritual counseling, spiritual care for marginalized communities, and compassionate care, including grief and loss, as well as other practices of spiritual care, such as prayers and bhajans.
Emerging Hindu chaplains need special preparation to deal with the following: 1) Most Hindu care seekers and those in caring professions do not understand the contemporary Hindu chaplain’s role. 2) There is a lack of inclusion of appropriately trained Hindus to meet the professional demands of chaplaincy work. 3) Chaplains need to collaborate with priests, social workers and medical professionals and refer the care seeker to chaplains from other faiths/beliefs as needed.
As a result of completing the HSCI and GTU cooperative programs, I can offer spiritual care in aged care facilities and at hospitals. My interactions with care seekers are humbling and enhance spiritual growth. I am reminded of this in an encounter where I met a man living with progressing dementia. He felt frustrated and trapped, unable to understand why he couldn’t do things independently. I spent time with him daily, showing him photos and letters from people he had impacted. I displayed these in his room to help him feel connected. After a few visits, he started looking forward to my visits, even though he often couldn’t remember them later. I realized the social aspect of caregiving is powerful and that simply being there in the moment is impactful. I feel blessed that he welcomed me into his life and allowed me to understand better the needs of those living with dementia.
Generational change is another area in which chaplains find themselves faced with feuding families. Simmi, one of our Hindu chaplains, reported: “When I first met Anni and Roy, all they spoke about was their teenage daughter Ashi’s rebellious behavior. Ashi often stayed out late at night and wore specific clothes and makeup, resulting in dramatic confrontations with her parents at dinner time. After counseling them, I had them prepare a list of dos and don’ts for Ashi, explaining each rationale while acknowledging and empathizing with her need to fit in, not just ‘because we say so.’ Ashi was asked to prepare a list of her wants and needs and explore ways to resist peer pressure going beyond ‘but all my friends do it.’ The last I heard of them, Ashi was in a program learning to create phone apps, which had boosted her creativity and led to new friendships. Anni and Roy were enjoying dinner-time conversations again. Seeing such dramatic improvement from their previous despair was gratifying.”
In the vast Hindu diaspora, ancient traditions have survived due to their richness, breadth of expression, flexibility and openness. The emergence of standardized Hindu chaplaincy training programs and pathways to country-specific certification will bring much-needed support to the Hindu diaspora and bring the sweetness of Hindu spiritual care to the communities. That is what vasudhaiva kutumbakam—“the world is a one family”—teaches Hindus everywhere!
I’m an Army Chaplain
by Smriti Krishna, Captain
From a young age, I was always fascinated by science and spirituality. My interest in Hindu texts led me to research and study them extensively. Driven by my passion for genetics, I pursued a PhD in molecular biology in 2000. The intricate relationships between genetics, lifestyle and emotional well-being intrigued me. During my graduate work at one of the largest cancer hospitals in India, I had the opportunity to support patients emotionally and spiritually as I became involved in palliative care and end-of-life support activities.
In 2009, I moved to Townsville, Queensland, Australia, for my postdoctoral research. There, I identified a need for a space to practice spirituality. As a lecturer in the university’s medical department, I had the opportunity to mentor and provide pastoral support to medical and PhD students. I was also appointed as a university chaplain, allowing me to support many international students in distress.
During my time in Queensland, I did volunteer work for the nonprofit North Queensland Hindu Community for over 13 years. I conducted numerous seminars and workshops for the local Hindu community. Being part of the multicultural community afforded me countless opportunities to create platforms for conversations, conduct conferences and seminars, and bring the values of our dharma to a broader audience. My connections within the multicultural community also led to my role on the Community Advisory Board at the largest regional hospital, where I advocated for the needs of the “Culturally and Linguistically Diverse” community. This position enabled me to implement changes in the approach to dealing with death, palliative support and end-of-life support in a Hindu context.
I moved to Melbourne during the Covid pandemic as part of my work. I continued my community service by volunteering for various organizations. The Hindu Council of Australia endorsed me as a chaplain within the tertiary education sector, and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad endorsed me to become a chaplain within the Australian Defence Force. After a year-long selection, I was appointed the first female Hindu chaplain in the ADF Army. It was a blessed day to take the oath in the presence of my mother, who has been a strong pillar of support throughout my life, and I was proud to show her that I am helping the broader community through my passion for Hindu spirituality. The Australian Defence Force has an increasing number of Hindus, and there is a clear need for dharmic support and spiritual practices, including practical aspects, such as yoga and meditation.
Until now, I have conducted all my spiritual and emotional care activities without formal training or knowledge of institutionalized spiritual care by trained counselors or chaplains. To further my training, I enrolled in a Clinical Pastoral Education course as part of becoming a defence force chaplain. However, I realized the need for a Hindu Spiritual Care-focused course, as their Clinical Pastoral Education course was based on a Christian framework.
I was introduced to the Hindu Spiritual Care Institute by a graduate and decided to enroll in the their chaplain program, which was was an eye-opener for me. The knowledgeable faculty, the vast resources they have compiled, and the connections with the peer group I received through the program were immensely helpful. Being part of the program gave me the confidence to practice as a chaplain within the army. Absent a local organization to interact with and find answers to my questions, the opportunity to engage with pioneers in the field through their program has been invaluable as I embark on my journey as an army chaplain.
About the Author
Dr. Nisha Singh is the principal genetics scientist leading a cancer diagnostic laboratory in Sydney, Australia. She is a member of Spiritual Care Australia and a lifelong learner at the Divine Life Society and Chinmaya Mission. She plans to offer her chaplaincy services in healthcare and local community-based settings.
Smriti Krishna, PhD, is a biomedical scientist firmly
committed to translational research focused on applying recent scientific discoveries to benefit patients. She did her PhD at the Regional Cancer Centre, India, and has expertise in effective teaching in higher education.