Indian-origin man in US Air Force allowed to sport tilak in uniform

 iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-

 

In a first, an US Air Force member has been granted a religious waiver to wear a tilak while in uniform.

Darshan Shah, an Airman in the US Air Force posted at the FE Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming – one of the three strategic missile bases in the US – had been seeking a religious waiver to wear a tilak since he joined the military two years back. His religious accommodation waiver was approved last month. Darshan is an aerospace medical technician assigned to the 90th Operational Medical Readiness Squadron.

“We live in a country where we’re allowed to practice and have faith in what we want. That’s what makes this such a great country. If it wasn’t for the first amendment, I wouldn’t be able to do this at all,” Shah said through an official communication of the 90th Missile Wing Chaplain Corps.

The Gujarati household where Shah was brought up in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, are followers of Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha or BAPS. The religious symbol of this sect is a red dot or chandlo, surrounded by an orange U-shaped tilak.

Shah began seeking a waiver allowing him to wear the tilak chandlo in uniform since attending basic military training in June 2020.

Shah plans to serve in the Air Force for at least 20 years. He would like to become a commissioned officer and serve as a doctor after earning his degree.