THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It was a dream come true for Smriti M Krishna when she was sworn in the chaplain captain of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) on Tuesday. In the process, the Thiruvananthapuram native and senior research scientist also created history by becoming the first Indian woman ever to grace the post.
In her own words, Smriti’s role as the chaplain entails providing spiritual and religious provision to soldiers, enabling her to conduct field services.
“I’m getting an opportunity to serve those who serve,” Smriti told TNIE over the phone after her swearing in ceremony in Melbourne.
ADF Director General Gary Pope sworn her in. According to her certificate of appointment, Smriti has joined the ADF and has been appointed as an officer in the Australian Army Reserve. Smriti said she will be donning the chaplain captain’s hat part-time so as to continue with her research on stem-cell treatment.
The road to becoming chaplain captain was anything but easy, recalls Smriti, the daughter of former forensic director Murali Krishna and Shantha Devi. She underwent a series of examinations and rigorous physical tests over past one-and-a-half years. She appeared for a slew of examinations, while also carrying out her research on regenerative therapies and pathological changes underlying cardiovascular diseases.
“Towards the last lap of selection, I was told to hit the gym to take care of my body, and also to notice what I ate. So, at the age of 50, I went to the gym for the first time in my life. The chaplain captain rank is the outcome of all the hard work,” she said.
Her uniformed position will allow Smriti to meet Australian soldiers and help them with their emotional well-being and provide spiritual support.
The swearing in ceremony was attended by Smriti’s mother Shantha and her friend Dr Priya Sivadas, a paediatrician based in Sydney, besides her colleagues from her research laboratory, VivaZome Therapeutics, Melbourne. Her twin daughters Rishika Nair and Nikhitha Nair could not make it to the event as they are studying dentistry in James Cook University, in Cairns, Australia.
Smriti had left for Australia after getting her PhD in cancer biology from the cancer research section at Regional Cancer Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, in 2006. She has to her credit over 60 international publications on cancer research.