Chief of the Army Staff General General Upendra Dwivedi spoke about his religious inclinations, saying he is a "multi-religious" person.
In a recent interview to news agency ANI, he also spoke about how the armed forces in the country have perfect interfaith harmony. His remarks came when he was asked about his recent visit to the famous Mahakaleshwar temple in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh where he offered prayers.
He said he was commissioned into 18th battalion, the Jammu and Kashmir rifles, where there is a a masjid, gurdwara, Durga mata, and Mahakal all under one roof, and added that he is a multi-religious person.
He also recalled how his subedar major, a maulvi, would perform Durga Mata Puja to reiterate how the regiment fostered a culture of religious harmony and mutual respect.
He said after taking over, he first sought blessings from his unit, Bhakti Dhaam, where he received blessings from his maulvi, pandit, and granthi.
Speaking about his decision to join the Indian Army, he said he was influenced by the photos of soldiers that his uncle would bring home and the stories of freedom fighters his father would narrate to him.
"...my one brother was a doctor. So, I said, no, this is closed. My second brother was an engineer. I said this is closed. Okay, So, third was the Army, which was there. I wanted to become an intelligence officer if I can say that. But when I went to school and saw everything, then I said, okay, let me join the Army first, thereafter look at intelligence."
