British Army doctor with ‘an Indian heart, an Indian stomach’ and a few lessons for life

Major Hina Majoria, an Indian-origin medical officer in the British Army reserves, has not lost touch with her roots, indulging in many of the traditional practices that her parents and grandparents had followed.

“We celebrate Diwali, Navratri, everything. We still speak some of the language, we eat the food and that’s what I like to say to people that I have an Indian heart, I have an Indian stomach as well,” she said.

Hina is part of a British Army delegation led by Major General John Kendall, Deputy Commander Field Army, which spoke on the shared heritage between the Indian and British armed forces at the Military Literature Festival in Chandigarh on Friday.

“So, what’s my connection with India? I was born in the UK but my grandparents were born in Gujarat and my parents were born in East Africa,” she said, adding that in civilian life she is a general practitioner with an interest in ENT.

Speaking on her service experience, she said that she has managed to do a lot with the British Army. “I’ve had a really good, extremely enriching career in terms of my medical officer side. So I’ve been able to go to Cyprus, the Falklands, Kenya on an exercise and now to India on an engagement piece as well,” she said.

“I’ve managed to learn so many different skills with the military that includes working under pressure, learning to resource carefully, being able to speak publicly and many, many more and it’s been an incredible experience and I would recommend it to anyone,” she added.

One of the few Indian-origin women officer in the British Army, Hina said that when she joined, less than two percent of the British Army was female and ethnic as well. “So there aren’t that many people that fit how I look. But it is changing and it’s extremely diverse now,” she said.

“They’re very open, very welcoming, they want to see more people with different cultures. So I’ve been extremely just overwhelmed with how well received I am as a British Indian woman in the military,” she said.

Hina said that earlier the cadets were asking her what they would be able to do to prepare for a life in the military and she wanted to give them a few lessons that she had learned. “So I would say celebrate with small wins. Build your networks and start doing it now,” she said.

“You don’t know what’s going to come back to you in the future. Change starts with you. When you walk into a room and you feel like you should be saying something then do it, say something, speak your truth,” she added.