Gurkhas line up to join the Indian Army
Dated 7/8/2006
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Gurkha soldiers are considered to be the world's finest infantry men and have a 200 year old tradition of fighting for the Indian Army, leaving an unmatched legacy in battlefields around the world.
The Gurkhas have a fighting record second to none but the Maoist insurgency in Nepal meant recruitment for the Indian Army had become very difficult.
But now the situation has improved with the new peace in the country.
Boys like 16-year-old Kiran Rana, from villages across western Nepal, have gathered in a centuries-old tradition. They all want to be soldiers, but it is not the Royal Nepal Army they will join.
They want to be recruited into the Gorkha regiment of the Indian Army. The competition is tough only one in 50 will make it and Kiran is one of the lucky few. Around 50,000 Gurkhas from Nepal serve in the Indian Army, a tradition dating back to 1805 when the British began recruiting them.
Escape the poverty
For two years, while Nepal was under King Gyanendra's control, the recruitments stopped. Now with Nepal on the road to democracy, they have begun restarted.
"Well, we have got a good batch this year. They are educated and very fit. I am happy," said Colonel Rana, recruiting officer. Two days later we journey up to the mountains to meet Kiran's family. Welcoming us is retired Subedar Yashvir Rana. Two of his sons are in the 5th Gurkha the third, Kiran, has now been selected. But their's is a 150-yr-old family tradition. His grandfather, father and three brothers also served the regiment. It is not surprising that a little bit of India has crept into this remote household in Nepal.
But look beyond the tradition and it is really the chance to escape the poverty here that drives these young men to enlist.
Simplicity and loyalty
Then again, it is the Gurkha's reputation of simplicity and loyalty that protects them from being labeled as mercenaries for hire. "I want to join my brothers unit because I will feel at home there," said Kiran Rana, Gurkha recruit.
When his father joined the Indian Army, he was illiterate, with almost no exposure to the outside world. Now things are different. But the Rana family is not quite done with the Gurkha tradition. The next generation is already learning the Gurkha code.
For 200 years, boys like Kiran have left their mountain villages in Nepal and fought with honour on battlefields all over the world. Gurkhas have written a tradition of valour with their blood, their simplicity and courage best described by a former Gurkha officer when he called them bravest of the brave, and most generous of the generous.
(Source: NDTV)
