Gurkhas

Hidden in that simple word is the transformation of a simple hill peasant to a fearsome warrior and the expansion of a small town into a modern day national state. While the first story will be familiar to most, the second one perhaps needs some elaboration. Gorkha is a small town in central Nepal and under King Prithvi Narayan Shah, the small principality wove together what is now modern day Nepal. As such the term 'Gorkhali' which means 'those from Gorkha' started to take on a more general meaning of 'Nepalese'. In this backdrop come the Gurkhas who are fearsome mercenaries in the British and Indian Armies. While they are chosen from both eastern, western and central Nepal, they are nevertheless referred to as Gurkhas after the principality that unified Nepal. And many Gurungs in this area have sons abroad. The history of Gurkha recruitment in the British Army goes back to the Anglo- Nepalese war of 1814-1816. During that war the British not only saw the battle-worthiness of the hill tribes of Nepal, but also reasoned that hiring a sizeable portion of the disbanded military of a former adversary would lead to a more stable political and military situation. These simple tribesmen would later also be indispensable in maintaining the British hold over India as was seen in the Indian Rebellion of 1857. From the tropical jungles of Malaya to the abrasive sands of Afghanistan, a Gurkha's devotion to his platoon and unmatched physical capacity has benefitted the British Army in many encounters. In turn, the Gurkhas have been able to bring their families above subsistence and many rulers of Nepal have directly benefitted from continuing this tradition.