Saturday, October 30, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
Saturday, July 31, 2010
The Three R’s and Beyond – Education in Nepal
When my daughter was four I decided to put her in a school. Galaxy Public School had just been established near my place in the Gyaneswar area so I enrolled her there in the nursery class. But even as I was putting her in Galaxy, my mind was already thinking of ways to get her admitted into the more renowned St. Mary’s High School in Jawalakhel. Two years later, we did just that. I remember waiting on the school’s grounds as the entrance exams were being conducted in a hall at St. Mary’s. My daughter was the first to come out and I asked her as to how she had done. “It was easy Papa,” she said. “Only how do you spell ‘musa’ (mouse in Nepali)?” When I told her, her response was, “I think I got it wrong.”
The question on my mind was how the students would be selected since I couldn’t fathom what difference in intelligence there would be among six-year-old children sitting for an entrance exam in which the questions could not be but simple. The school authorities no doubt had a huge task on their hands as typically, more than 2000 apply every year for 200 seats in this premier school. Anyway, the long and the short of it was that my daughter gained the coveted admission to the prestigious school and 11 years later passed out from Class 12. The fact that she is a St. Mary’s alumni will undoubtedly be one of her greatest assets in life just as my being a St. Joseph’s (Darjeeling) alumni is a big asset for me. I confess that when I went for my first job interview, this fact alone gave me quite an unfair advantage over the other candidates. A good basic school background is certainly as important as is a good college degree.
The Foreign and the Local
And, when talking about basic education in Nepal, is it possible not to mention Darjeeling schools where many of the Nepal elite sent their children for early studies till recently, and many still continue to do so? The fact that many members of the royal families of Bhutan, Sikkim and Nepal (including the late King Birendra, the ex King Gyanendra, and the late Prince Dhirendra), as also scions of the once princely Indian states studied in St. Josephs and other similar schools in the Darjeeling region, lent an aura of glamour to those who were educated there. As a matter of interest it should also be mentioned that the late Queen Aishwarya did her schooling from St. Helen’s of Kurseong. There are numerous well known names in Nepali industry and business who also were educated in Darjeeling schools. In addition, many teachers from that region have been involved in the establishment of reputed schools here. One example is Brihaspati Vidyasadan established in 1985 by the late Mr. Maurice Banerjee who was not only the Principal of St. Joseph’s (Darjeeling) at one time, but also one of the better teachers to be found anywhere. Another example is Shuvatara School, whose founder Principal, Ms. Rita Raj Gurung Kakshyapati, is also a Darjeeling alumnus.
In recent years, however, the tendency is more towards Nepalese students going out of the country for higher studies rather than for early education. The reason is obvious - now there are plenty of good schools within the country itself (the late Princes Dipendra and Nirajan studied in Budhanilkantha School and the late Princess Shruti, in St. Mary’s). The rapid progress in the educational sector is something that has to be appreciated, and now there are plenty of reputed schools that can claim to be as good as many Darjeeling schools and the standard setters in Nepal itself, that is, St. Xavier’s and St. Mary’s. During the 1950’s, there were only 310 primary and middle schools, 11 high schools, two colleges, and one technical school in the country. The number of students was about 10,000.
After the overthrow of the Rana regime in 1951, efforts were made to increase literacy rates. Primary education was made free and compulsory in 1975. By 1987, the country had 2,532,021 students enrolled in 17,186 schools with about 75,869 teachers. The 2001 census saw 5,500,000 students enrolled in 26,000 schools, 415 colleges, five universities and two academies of higher studies. The number of teachers was well over 150,000. Indeed, the educational sector has made terrific strides and nowadays one will find good schools and colleges throughout the country. The augmentation has been mostly due to the expansion of private schools since 1990. Yet, quantity alone does not translate into quality and private schools have often been criticized for becoming more of money making machines rather than wholesome educational institutions. While the criticism is justified to some extent, it must also be admitted that there has also been tremendous enhancement of quality in many of these institutions. Perhaps quality does come with a price.
The Pioneers
Yet, when one comes to think of it, there have been some schools which have played a pioneering role in uplifting the educational standards here without having to face similar criticism. Prominent among these is St. Xavier’s School, Godavari, which started its classes on July 1, 1951 under the leadership of Fr. Marshall Moran, an American-born priest regarded as the pioneer of modern education in Nepal. On September 9, 1954, the primary section was shifted to Jawalakhel. In due time, St. Xavier’s Jawalakhel became a full-fledged high school and St. Xavier’s Godavari became a primary boarding school. In 1996, it was decided to make St. Xavier’s Godavari into a co-educational high school meant primarily for day scholars from neighbouring villages and in 2001, St. Xavier’s Jawalakhel too became co-educational.
St. Mary’s School was established in 1955 as an all girls school by the Sisters of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, later known as the Congregation of Jesus. This was followed much later by St. Mary's School in Pokhara in 1982. In 1986, the school founded the Mary Ward School in Jhamsikhel, meant for primary education of underprivileged children and in due time the Mary Ward School in Lubhu was established as an extension. On Nov 17, 1991, Gorkha also witnessed the establishment of a St. Mary’s School there. Nevertheless, even if the Jesuit schools did set new standards here, the first modern school in Nepal was the historical Durbar High School in Ranipokhari, Kathmandu, which was established in 1854. Originally meant only for children of Rana families, the school was eventually opened up to the general public in 1886. Initially, most of the teachers hailed from Calcutta and the school was affiliated to the Calcutta University. The old durbar building remains today as a vignette of the past but anyone can see that it cries out for timely restoration so as to be able to uphold its proud history.
Around 1877, Prime Minister Ranodip Singh established the Sanskrit Pradhan Pathshala (a school primarily meant to preserve Sanskrit culture) and this was followed by some more Sanskrit schools scattered around the country in such places like Dingla, Janakpur and Dang. The Nepal Sanskrit College affiliated to the Sanskrit University in Banaras, India, was established in 1948 offering Uttara Madhyarna (Intermediate), Shastri (Bachelor), and Acharya (Master) courses. According to Andrea Matles Savada’s, Nepal: A Country Study, before World War II (1939-45), some more middle and high schools were opened in Patan, Biratnagar, and some other towns, and a girls' high school was opened in the capital. Returning Gurkha soldiers, many of whom had gained literacy in the British army, began giving elementary education to children in their villages.
‘Social History of Nepal’ by T R Vaidya, Tri Ratna Manandhar and Shanker Lal Joshi chronicles the early history of education in Nepal. According to them, in 1932, Juddha Shamshere had given permission to open the first all girls’ school in Kathmandu in which students were trained in embroidery, needle works, weaving, etc besides simple reading, writing and arithmetic. It is interesting to know that the first girl to pass the School Leaving Certificate examinations (SLC) was Lekha Rajya Laxmi Rana who passed out with a first division but she presumably, gave her examinations from out of the country. The Nepal SLC Examination Board was founded in 1934 and in 1948, the first batch of girls to pass out under its authority were Angur Baba Joshi (long time principal of Padma Kanya Campus), Sahana Devi Pradhan (UML leader and a minister many times), Bhuvana Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah and Sadhana Devi Pradhan (wife of late Prime Minister Manmohan Adhikari). Some early schools in Kathmandu included the Shantinikinya Public School, a co-educational institution which was founded in 1945 and Biswaniketan and Sitaram Schools which were established a year later. Padma Kanya School, established in 1947, was the first recognized girls’ high school in Nepal. Another girls’ school, Kanya Mandir, was also founded in that year.
One of the oldest private co-educational schools is Vanasthali Vidyashram which was established in 1951 in Balaju and is now known as Siddhartha Vanasthali Institute. Today, it has a large number of students, about 3000, and an outstanding record as far as SLC results are concerned. Anandakuti Bidyapeeth near Swaymabhunnath, was established in January 1952 by the late Bikchhu Amritananda Mahasthavir as Buddhist boarding high school. In spite of a rich history, it is apparently not doing too well at the moment. Laboratory School near Tribhuvan University was established in 1956 with support from the US government. The ex prince, Paras Shah, received his high school diploma from here and it was once renowned for its academic excellence which resulted in its students topping the SLC results time and again. In time, however, it has reportedly lost much of its distinction and subsequently, its enrollment too has gone down significantly. Mahendra Bhawan Girls' Higher Secondary School in Gaucharan, Kathmandu, another large school, was established in 1957 with assistance from the United Mission to Nepal. Now it is a co-educational school with the name Mahendra Bhawan School.
The Shri Padma Secondary School was the first school to be established in Bhaktapur. Patan Madhyamik School in Lalitpur is also one of the earliest schools in that district. One of the largest higher secondary schools in Nepal with more than 5,000 students is Adarsha Vidya Mandir which was founded in 1965 in the capital. The school has unfortunately been in the news recently for the wrong reason - the kidnap and murder in June 2009 of one of its students by an ex- teacher whose accomplice was also a recently passed out girl student. Gandaki Higher Secondary Boarding School in Pokhara was established in 1966 with help from the United Mission to Nepal and the Shining Hospital. Another pioneering school is Kathmandu’s Kanti Ishwari Shishu Vidyalaya. Established in 1967, many of the royal family children completed their pre-primary and primary level of education from here. Gyanodaya Bal Batika School began as a pre-primary school in 1975 and today is a full fledged secondary school at Sanepa, Lalitpur. While it is an exclusive day school, its affiliate, the Gyanodaya Residential School, established in 1999, and located at Bungamati, Khokana, is exclusively for boarding students. Similarly, there are other schools, though primarily located in Kathmandu, that have played a pioneering role in the educational history of Nepal and it would be difficult to list them all. Nevertheless, one can say that the development has been a steadily progressive one.
The Elite Schools
St. Xavier’s and St. Mary’s were, for many years, the first schools of choice, and I daresay, continue to be so to a great extent. Their alumni boast of the who’s who of Nepal, ranging from royalty to stalwarts of industry and commerce; highly regarded professionals to diplomats and top bureaucrats to administrators. No doubt, for the most part, because of their location, Kathmandu dwellers have had the most opportunity to be educated in these elite centres of learning. Budhanilkantha School is another of the country’s elite schools. It was established in 1972 on the late King Mahendra’s initiative as a joint venture with the United Kingdom government. Designated as a 'National School', students are enrolled from all over the country and about one third of them study on scholarships provided to the meritorious and needy after a very selective entrance exam. Managed by British head masters for the first twenty years, the aim of the school is to foster a feeling of equality among the rich and the poor. Admission to this school, naturally, is much sought after not least because; many of its graduates have also been successful in winning scholarships to attend colleges and universities worldwide.
Some other elite schools in the capital are those that are meant primarily for expatriate students. One such is Lincoln School which was founded in 1954. Its average enrollment is about 350 and according to the school authorities, the school usually has students from some 40 nationalities at any given time. Recent figures show the following ratios: 25% from North America, 28% from Europe, 20% from Nepal, and 22% from other regions. Expectedly, the fee structure is steep with the annual tuition as high as $14,400 (about Rs. 11, 00,000) for middle school students. Registration and admission fees cost another Rs. 3, 00, 000 or so. One does wonder who in Nepal can really afford to have their students study in this school. But, seemingly, there are, as indicated by the above figures. The British School, founded in 1967, charges around NRs. 7, 00, 000 as annual tuition for middle level classes and registration and development fee and deposit come to about NRs. 4, 70, 000 per child at the same level. High costs no doubt, but then these schools are meant for the well off expatriates’ children. Another school once meant for expatriates’ children is Modern Indian School which was inaugurated by Jawaharlal Nehru Prize winner, the late Shri Tulsi Mehar Shrestha, in 1978 at Chobhar in Kathmandu. Originally meant to impart quality education to children of Indian nationals serving in Nepal, gradually, a substantial number of local and other children too have become part of its student population.
The New Elites
Little Angels School was established in 1981. The school has a primary wing at Jhamsikhel while the main Hattiban campus not only offers education up to high school but also beyond post-secondary levels. The school runs higher secondary classes in science and commerce streams as well as BBA and BBIS courses affiliated to Kathmandu University. Little Angels School is undoubtedly one of the largest and best facilitated schools in the country. It also has an excellent academic record, its students having been placed more than two dozen times on the top-ten list of SLC graduates. The school officials credit their success to various factors like: availability of a well balanced and updated curriculum; dedicated teachers; sufficient resource materials and teaching aids; infrastructure conducive to the teaching-learning process and implementation of well planned and motivating programmes.
Brihaspati Vidyasadan was established in 1985 by Maurice Banerjee, ex Principal of St. Joseph’s School, Darjeeling. Currently the student strength is 1260 in classes from nursery to class 12 and A Level. The school is divided into five wings, Primary, Junior Secondary, Middle, Upper Secondary, Higher Secondary, and A Level. Kumudini Homes, Pokhara, was founded in 1985 by K. Palikhe. Besides the fact that it is set amongst truly verdant surroundings, the school has gained a reputation of being one of the better institutes of learning in the country. Galaxy Public School, established in 1986 with nine students and two teachers, now has a student population of 3296 and a faculty staff of 400. It runs classes from nursery to class 12 and according to school authorities, the school gives a lot of emphasis to pre-school, kindergarten and primary education since it believes that children are most impressionable when very young. The progress of Galaxy has been phenomenal in terms of both curricular and extra-curricular activities. 17 of its students have been placed on the SLC merit list so far and the school has won many laurels in sporting activities as well.
The private school sector is really huge now and it appears that they might soon be running out of catchy names altogether. And, as in other sectors, there will be a few who manage to stand out because of one reason or the other (savvy promoters, large investment capacity, outstanding infrastructure, international collaboration, etc). A few that come to mind are Shuvatara School in Sanepa; Rato Bangala in Patan Dhoka, founded in 1992; Malpi International School (est.1991) in Kavre district; DAV School (est. 1993) which has schools in Kathmandu, Birganj, Sarlahi and Biratnagar, and Ullens School, established in 2006 in Khumaltar, Lalitpur. In fact there are many more schools which have distinguished themselves, and the only excuse that they are not mentioned here is because of the paucity of space.
While on this subject, perhaps it would be pertinent to point out that it is often its students being featured on the top ten of the SLC Board exams, which have usually propelled a school into the limelight. No wonder then that most schools do whatever they need to do make sure that some of their students feature in this privileged list. Some are of the opinion that this necessity has made education extremely exam oriented in the country at the expense of a more rounded one. Nevertheless, one must appreciate the rapidity with which schools have developed in this country which has resulted in the net primary enrollment in schools reaching 89 % in 2007, according to a World Bank report, and the literacy rate climbing to a respectable 55.2 %.
Higher Education
The first college in the country, Tri-Chandra College, was established in 1918. The Rana Prime Minister, Chandra Shamsher, saw higher education as a threat to monarchy and was initially opposed to the idea. Nonetheless, he yielded to growing pressure but is reported to have remarked at its inauguration, "With the opening of this college, I have hacked my own leg." For many years, examinations were conducted by the Patna University in India. Soon, Tri Chandra College was followed by other colleges like Padma Kanya College, Patan College, Durbar College, Nepal National College (later Shankar Dev Campus) and Amrit Science College, all in Kathmandu; Thakur Ram College in Birgunj, RR College in Janakpur, Mahendra Morang College in Biratnagar and Tribhuvan College in Palpa. They too followed the curriculum of Patna University.
Tribhuvan University (TU) was founded in 1959 and was the only university until 1985. A World Bank report of 2005/2006 states that there were about 600 campuses in Nepal in that year, with an enrollment figure of about 253,889 students of which 91% were in TU. According to latest figures (2008/2009) 561 private colleges, spread all over the country, are now affiliated to TU besides its 60 constituent campuses. The total number of students is 2, 90,833 and there are 7,049 faculty members in its constituent campuses and five institutes: Institute of Science and Technology, Institute of Engineering, Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science, Institute of Medicine and the Institute of Forestry, and four faculties: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculty of Management, Faculty of Education, and Faculty of Law.
Subsequently, the following universities also came into being: Mahendra Sanskrit University (est.1986), Kathmandu University (est. 1991) with 8266 students, Purbanchal University (1994) with 8000 students, Pokhara University (1997) with 5400 students, Lumbini Bouddha University (2005), Mid-Western University, Nepal Agriculture and Forestry University and Siddhartha University. Two academic institutions that are equivalent to universities are: B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (1993) and National Academy of Medical Sciences (2002).
The Nature of Colleges
It is obvious that colleges since then have been always hot beds of political activity, and their activism has often been the cause of sweeping political changes. One can easily find a long list of political leaders calling the shots in the myriad of Nepal’s political parties, who were all once student leaders. In fact, it can almost be taken for granted now that presidents of student bodies will one day or the other, become ministers and even prime ministers. Ex Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is a good example as are Ram Chandra Poudyal, once a Deputy Prime Minister and Bijay Kumar Gachhadar, the present Deputy Prime Minister. All three were fiery student leaders and Gachhadar, in fact, was once shot in the head during student elections in the 1980s in Morang Multiple Campus in Biratnagar. The present Information Minister, Shankar Pokharel, was once the president of the national student union. Another ex minister, Surendra Choudhary, earned his political credentials as a student leader while studying at Thakur Ram Campus in Birganj, one of the pioneering colleges outside the capital. Because of its relatively easier path to prominence, it is a fact that there are many who keep on having themselves registered as students even when they are well past their student days, just so they keep on being student leaders. All student union bodies are offshoots of one political party or the other, making college environments into highly politicized ones. Student union elections are considered the harbingers of the next general elections - the union which gains a majority indicates which political party will win the next elections.
Nevertheless, higher education, which was once confined to government colleges and so, at the mercy of disturbances due to recurring political activism, is now available in a large number of private institutions where student activism even if present, is to a much lesser degree. However, as mentioned before, the clear majority of students seeking college degrees still attend the government colleges because of factors like cost and convenience of admission. In addition, there has been a spurt in private specialized institutions as well, with the result that for medicine alone, there are 12 colleges across the length and breadth of the country. Institute of Medicine, established in 1972 in Kathmandu is the country’s premier medical institution and it has 12 campuses nationwide. It is of course a welcome development which should augur in a great deal of self dependence in the medical field. At the same time, medical studies are not cheap and the tuition fees alone (disregarding other heavy costs like registration fees, hostel, books, etc.) can be somewhere in the range of Rs. 3 million for a MBBS degree program in private colleges.
As far as engineering colleges are concerned, there are 20 such institutions throughout the country providing degree programs in architecture, civil engineering, computer engineering, electronics and communication, electrical and electronics, energy engineering, civil and rural engineering, etc. Institute of Engineering (IOE) was established in 1972 and is the premier engineering institution in the country and it has four campuses, namely, Thapathali Campus, Pulchowk Campus, Eastern Regional Campus and Western Regional Campus. IOE also has the distinction of being adjudged as one of the best such colleges in South Asia. The Nepal Engineering College (NEC) established in 1994, is Nepal’s first private engineering college. Engineering studies appear to be much more affordable taking NEC’s fees as an example: Rs. 3, 97,000 for B. E. (4 yrs.), Rs. 4, 41,000 for B. E. (civil and rural - 4 & 1/2 yrs.) and Rs. 4, 85,000 for B. Arch (5 yrs.).
There are other specialized colleges are well, teaching a host of vocational subjects. Yes, colleges too have seen a noteworthy growth and this bodes well for the country. At the same time, these centers of higher learning need to be on their toes to see to it that the now customary ills of government campuses do not infect them as well. It must however, be admitted that this wasn’t always the case with government colleges. I remember how proud my father was when I gained admission to Amrit Science College in the 1970s. It was the eminent college of the time and if we were to go through its alumni, we would see that it consists of many renowned professionals, administrators and bureaucrats in its ranks. It was almost a given that almost all the doctors and engineers of the country would be products of this college. The case is not the same now and maybe it is to be expected that the old has to give in to the new. Well, seeing that there are so many good colleges now, one perhaps need not worry.
Final Words
Nepal indeed can be proud of its development in the educational sector. It has been a successful journey. But, at the same time, it is essential to keep in mind the guiding philosophy as enunciated by the experts (National Education Plan); ‘The goal of primary education is to teach reading, writing, and arithmetic, and to instill discipline and hygiene. Lower-secondary education should emphasize character formation, a positive attitude toward manual labor, and perseverance. Higher-secondary education should stress on manpower requirements and preparation for higher education.’ How far this philosophy is being adhered to is a question open to all: government, educationists, students, parents and public. Criticism that education has become big business and totally exam oriented is something we hear about often. Another valid criticism is that the environment in schools and colleges are being sullied by politics. Thus, to maintain and sustain the educational sector’s remarkable progress, the concerned people need to look back, reflect and take corrective measures wherever necessary. The mass exodus of students going abroad every year for higher studies is not a good development, but one which is partly due to the political activism so prevalent in our colleges. But, all said and done, there is much to cheer about in Nepal’s success in education. Success can only breed more success. If you don’t believe this, read the following.
‘A remarkable feature of the country’s education has been the speed with it has developed since 1952. Before the change in government in 1951, there were 200 primary schools, 224 middle and high schools, and 1 college in the country. Now there are over 5000 primary schools, 450 middle and high schools, and over 30 colleges including one university.’ This is what Consultant W. Olszak reported in 1966 while making a United Mission Report called ‘Establishment of Engineering Colleges in Nepal’. This year, the Ministry of Education’s Flash Report 2008/2009 reports that there are 31,156 schools in the country today, and there are over 600 colleges and more than half a dozen universities. Wonder what W. Olszak would say now?
The question on my mind was how the students would be selected since I couldn’t fathom what difference in intelligence there would be among six-year-old children sitting for an entrance exam in which the questions could not be but simple. The school authorities no doubt had a huge task on their hands as typically, more than 2000 apply every year for 200 seats in this premier school. Anyway, the long and the short of it was that my daughter gained the coveted admission to the prestigious school and 11 years later passed out from Class 12. The fact that she is a St. Mary’s alumni will undoubtedly be one of her greatest assets in life just as my being a St. Joseph’s (Darjeeling) alumni is a big asset for me. I confess that when I went for my first job interview, this fact alone gave me quite an unfair advantage over the other candidates. A good basic school background is certainly as important as is a good college degree.
The Foreign and the Local
And, when talking about basic education in Nepal, is it possible not to mention Darjeeling schools where many of the Nepal elite sent their children for early studies till recently, and many still continue to do so? The fact that many members of the royal families of Bhutan, Sikkim and Nepal (including the late King Birendra, the ex King Gyanendra, and the late Prince Dhirendra), as also scions of the once princely Indian states studied in St. Josephs and other similar schools in the Darjeeling region, lent an aura of glamour to those who were educated there. As a matter of interest it should also be mentioned that the late Queen Aishwarya did her schooling from St. Helen’s of Kurseong. There are numerous well known names in Nepali industry and business who also were educated in Darjeeling schools. In addition, many teachers from that region have been involved in the establishment of reputed schools here. One example is Brihaspati Vidyasadan established in 1985 by the late Mr. Maurice Banerjee who was not only the Principal of St. Joseph’s (Darjeeling) at one time, but also one of the better teachers to be found anywhere. Another example is Shuvatara School, whose founder Principal, Ms. Rita Raj Gurung Kakshyapati, is also a Darjeeling alumnus.
In recent years, however, the tendency is more towards Nepalese students going out of the country for higher studies rather than for early education. The reason is obvious - now there are plenty of good schools within the country itself (the late Princes Dipendra and Nirajan studied in Budhanilkantha School and the late Princess Shruti, in St. Mary’s). The rapid progress in the educational sector is something that has to be appreciated, and now there are plenty of reputed schools that can claim to be as good as many Darjeeling schools and the standard setters in Nepal itself, that is, St. Xavier’s and St. Mary’s. During the 1950’s, there were only 310 primary and middle schools, 11 high schools, two colleges, and one technical school in the country. The number of students was about 10,000.
After the overthrow of the Rana regime in 1951, efforts were made to increase literacy rates. Primary education was made free and compulsory in 1975. By 1987, the country had 2,532,021 students enrolled in 17,186 schools with about 75,869 teachers. The 2001 census saw 5,500,000 students enrolled in 26,000 schools, 415 colleges, five universities and two academies of higher studies. The number of teachers was well over 150,000. Indeed, the educational sector has made terrific strides and nowadays one will find good schools and colleges throughout the country. The augmentation has been mostly due to the expansion of private schools since 1990. Yet, quantity alone does not translate into quality and private schools have often been criticized for becoming more of money making machines rather than wholesome educational institutions. While the criticism is justified to some extent, it must also be admitted that there has also been tremendous enhancement of quality in many of these institutions. Perhaps quality does come with a price.
The Pioneers
Yet, when one comes to think of it, there have been some schools which have played a pioneering role in uplifting the educational standards here without having to face similar criticism. Prominent among these is St. Xavier’s School, Godavari, which started its classes on July 1, 1951 under the leadership of Fr. Marshall Moran, an American-born priest regarded as the pioneer of modern education in Nepal. On September 9, 1954, the primary section was shifted to Jawalakhel. In due time, St. Xavier’s Jawalakhel became a full-fledged high school and St. Xavier’s Godavari became a primary boarding school. In 1996, it was decided to make St. Xavier’s Godavari into a co-educational high school meant primarily for day scholars from neighbouring villages and in 2001, St. Xavier’s Jawalakhel too became co-educational.
St. Mary’s School was established in 1955 as an all girls school by the Sisters of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, later known as the Congregation of Jesus. This was followed much later by St. Mary's School in Pokhara in 1982. In 1986, the school founded the Mary Ward School in Jhamsikhel, meant for primary education of underprivileged children and in due time the Mary Ward School in Lubhu was established as an extension. On Nov 17, 1991, Gorkha also witnessed the establishment of a St. Mary’s School there. Nevertheless, even if the Jesuit schools did set new standards here, the first modern school in Nepal was the historical Durbar High School in Ranipokhari, Kathmandu, which was established in 1854. Originally meant only for children of Rana families, the school was eventually opened up to the general public in 1886. Initially, most of the teachers hailed from Calcutta and the school was affiliated to the Calcutta University. The old durbar building remains today as a vignette of the past but anyone can see that it cries out for timely restoration so as to be able to uphold its proud history.
Around 1877, Prime Minister Ranodip Singh established the Sanskrit Pradhan Pathshala (a school primarily meant to preserve Sanskrit culture) and this was followed by some more Sanskrit schools scattered around the country in such places like Dingla, Janakpur and Dang. The Nepal Sanskrit College affiliated to the Sanskrit University in Banaras, India, was established in 1948 offering Uttara Madhyarna (Intermediate), Shastri (Bachelor), and Acharya (Master) courses. According to Andrea Matles Savada’s, Nepal: A Country Study, before World War II (1939-45), some more middle and high schools were opened in Patan, Biratnagar, and some other towns, and a girls' high school was opened in the capital. Returning Gurkha soldiers, many of whom had gained literacy in the British army, began giving elementary education to children in their villages.
‘Social History of Nepal’ by T R Vaidya, Tri Ratna Manandhar and Shanker Lal Joshi chronicles the early history of education in Nepal. According to them, in 1932, Juddha Shamshere had given permission to open the first all girls’ school in Kathmandu in which students were trained in embroidery, needle works, weaving, etc besides simple reading, writing and arithmetic. It is interesting to know that the first girl to pass the School Leaving Certificate examinations (SLC) was Lekha Rajya Laxmi Rana who passed out with a first division but she presumably, gave her examinations from out of the country. The Nepal SLC Examination Board was founded in 1934 and in 1948, the first batch of girls to pass out under its authority were Angur Baba Joshi (long time principal of Padma Kanya Campus), Sahana Devi Pradhan (UML leader and a minister many times), Bhuvana Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah and Sadhana Devi Pradhan (wife of late Prime Minister Manmohan Adhikari). Some early schools in Kathmandu included the Shantinikinya Public School, a co-educational institution which was founded in 1945 and Biswaniketan and Sitaram Schools which were established a year later. Padma Kanya School, established in 1947, was the first recognized girls’ high school in Nepal. Another girls’ school, Kanya Mandir, was also founded in that year.
One of the oldest private co-educational schools is Vanasthali Vidyashram which was established in 1951 in Balaju and is now known as Siddhartha Vanasthali Institute. Today, it has a large number of students, about 3000, and an outstanding record as far as SLC results are concerned. Anandakuti Bidyapeeth near Swaymabhunnath, was established in January 1952 by the late Bikchhu Amritananda Mahasthavir as Buddhist boarding high school. In spite of a rich history, it is apparently not doing too well at the moment. Laboratory School near Tribhuvan University was established in 1956 with support from the US government. The ex prince, Paras Shah, received his high school diploma from here and it was once renowned for its academic excellence which resulted in its students topping the SLC results time and again. In time, however, it has reportedly lost much of its distinction and subsequently, its enrollment too has gone down significantly. Mahendra Bhawan Girls' Higher Secondary School in Gaucharan, Kathmandu, another large school, was established in 1957 with assistance from the United Mission to Nepal. Now it is a co-educational school with the name Mahendra Bhawan School.
The Shri Padma Secondary School was the first school to be established in Bhaktapur. Patan Madhyamik School in Lalitpur is also one of the earliest schools in that district. One of the largest higher secondary schools in Nepal with more than 5,000 students is Adarsha Vidya Mandir which was founded in 1965 in the capital. The school has unfortunately been in the news recently for the wrong reason - the kidnap and murder in June 2009 of one of its students by an ex- teacher whose accomplice was also a recently passed out girl student. Gandaki Higher Secondary Boarding School in Pokhara was established in 1966 with help from the United Mission to Nepal and the Shining Hospital. Another pioneering school is Kathmandu’s Kanti Ishwari Shishu Vidyalaya. Established in 1967, many of the royal family children completed their pre-primary and primary level of education from here. Gyanodaya Bal Batika School began as a pre-primary school in 1975 and today is a full fledged secondary school at Sanepa, Lalitpur. While it is an exclusive day school, its affiliate, the Gyanodaya Residential School, established in 1999, and located at Bungamati, Khokana, is exclusively for boarding students. Similarly, there are other schools, though primarily located in Kathmandu, that have played a pioneering role in the educational history of Nepal and it would be difficult to list them all. Nevertheless, one can say that the development has been a steadily progressive one.
The Elite Schools
St. Xavier’s and St. Mary’s were, for many years, the first schools of choice, and I daresay, continue to be so to a great extent. Their alumni boast of the who’s who of Nepal, ranging from royalty to stalwarts of industry and commerce; highly regarded professionals to diplomats and top bureaucrats to administrators. No doubt, for the most part, because of their location, Kathmandu dwellers have had the most opportunity to be educated in these elite centres of learning. Budhanilkantha School is another of the country’s elite schools. It was established in 1972 on the late King Mahendra’s initiative as a joint venture with the United Kingdom government. Designated as a 'National School', students are enrolled from all over the country and about one third of them study on scholarships provided to the meritorious and needy after a very selective entrance exam. Managed by British head masters for the first twenty years, the aim of the school is to foster a feeling of equality among the rich and the poor. Admission to this school, naturally, is much sought after not least because; many of its graduates have also been successful in winning scholarships to attend colleges and universities worldwide.
Some other elite schools in the capital are those that are meant primarily for expatriate students. One such is Lincoln School which was founded in 1954. Its average enrollment is about 350 and according to the school authorities, the school usually has students from some 40 nationalities at any given time. Recent figures show the following ratios: 25% from North America, 28% from Europe, 20% from Nepal, and 22% from other regions. Expectedly, the fee structure is steep with the annual tuition as high as $14,400 (about Rs. 11, 00,000) for middle school students. Registration and admission fees cost another Rs. 3, 00, 000 or so. One does wonder who in Nepal can really afford to have their students study in this school. But, seemingly, there are, as indicated by the above figures. The British School, founded in 1967, charges around NRs. 7, 00, 000 as annual tuition for middle level classes and registration and development fee and deposit come to about NRs. 4, 70, 000 per child at the same level. High costs no doubt, but then these schools are meant for the well off expatriates’ children. Another school once meant for expatriates’ children is Modern Indian School which was inaugurated by Jawaharlal Nehru Prize winner, the late Shri Tulsi Mehar Shrestha, in 1978 at Chobhar in Kathmandu. Originally meant to impart quality education to children of Indian nationals serving in Nepal, gradually, a substantial number of local and other children too have become part of its student population.
The New Elites
Little Angels School was established in 1981. The school has a primary wing at Jhamsikhel while the main Hattiban campus not only offers education up to high school but also beyond post-secondary levels. The school runs higher secondary classes in science and commerce streams as well as BBA and BBIS courses affiliated to Kathmandu University. Little Angels School is undoubtedly one of the largest and best facilitated schools in the country. It also has an excellent academic record, its students having been placed more than two dozen times on the top-ten list of SLC graduates. The school officials credit their success to various factors like: availability of a well balanced and updated curriculum; dedicated teachers; sufficient resource materials and teaching aids; infrastructure conducive to the teaching-learning process and implementation of well planned and motivating programmes.
Brihaspati Vidyasadan was established in 1985 by Maurice Banerjee, ex Principal of St. Joseph’s School, Darjeeling. Currently the student strength is 1260 in classes from nursery to class 12 and A Level. The school is divided into five wings, Primary, Junior Secondary, Middle, Upper Secondary, Higher Secondary, and A Level. Kumudini Homes, Pokhara, was founded in 1985 by K. Palikhe. Besides the fact that it is set amongst truly verdant surroundings, the school has gained a reputation of being one of the better institutes of learning in the country. Galaxy Public School, established in 1986 with nine students and two teachers, now has a student population of 3296 and a faculty staff of 400. It runs classes from nursery to class 12 and according to school authorities, the school gives a lot of emphasis to pre-school, kindergarten and primary education since it believes that children are most impressionable when very young. The progress of Galaxy has been phenomenal in terms of both curricular and extra-curricular activities. 17 of its students have been placed on the SLC merit list so far and the school has won many laurels in sporting activities as well.
The private school sector is really huge now and it appears that they might soon be running out of catchy names altogether. And, as in other sectors, there will be a few who manage to stand out because of one reason or the other (savvy promoters, large investment capacity, outstanding infrastructure, international collaboration, etc). A few that come to mind are Shuvatara School in Sanepa; Rato Bangala in Patan Dhoka, founded in 1992; Malpi International School (est.1991) in Kavre district; DAV School (est. 1993) which has schools in Kathmandu, Birganj, Sarlahi and Biratnagar, and Ullens School, established in 2006 in Khumaltar, Lalitpur. In fact there are many more schools which have distinguished themselves, and the only excuse that they are not mentioned here is because of the paucity of space.
While on this subject, perhaps it would be pertinent to point out that it is often its students being featured on the top ten of the SLC Board exams, which have usually propelled a school into the limelight. No wonder then that most schools do whatever they need to do make sure that some of their students feature in this privileged list. Some are of the opinion that this necessity has made education extremely exam oriented in the country at the expense of a more rounded one. Nevertheless, one must appreciate the rapidity with which schools have developed in this country which has resulted in the net primary enrollment in schools reaching 89 % in 2007, according to a World Bank report, and the literacy rate climbing to a respectable 55.2 %.
Higher Education
The first college in the country, Tri-Chandra College, was established in 1918. The Rana Prime Minister, Chandra Shamsher, saw higher education as a threat to monarchy and was initially opposed to the idea. Nonetheless, he yielded to growing pressure but is reported to have remarked at its inauguration, "With the opening of this college, I have hacked my own leg." For many years, examinations were conducted by the Patna University in India. Soon, Tri Chandra College was followed by other colleges like Padma Kanya College, Patan College, Durbar College, Nepal National College (later Shankar Dev Campus) and Amrit Science College, all in Kathmandu; Thakur Ram College in Birgunj, RR College in Janakpur, Mahendra Morang College in Biratnagar and Tribhuvan College in Palpa. They too followed the curriculum of Patna University.
Tribhuvan University (TU) was founded in 1959 and was the only university until 1985. A World Bank report of 2005/2006 states that there were about 600 campuses in Nepal in that year, with an enrollment figure of about 253,889 students of which 91% were in TU. According to latest figures (2008/2009) 561 private colleges, spread all over the country, are now affiliated to TU besides its 60 constituent campuses. The total number of students is 2, 90,833 and there are 7,049 faculty members in its constituent campuses and five institutes: Institute of Science and Technology, Institute of Engineering, Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science, Institute of Medicine and the Institute of Forestry, and four faculties: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculty of Management, Faculty of Education, and Faculty of Law.
Subsequently, the following universities also came into being: Mahendra Sanskrit University (est.1986), Kathmandu University (est. 1991) with 8266 students, Purbanchal University (1994) with 8000 students, Pokhara University (1997) with 5400 students, Lumbini Bouddha University (2005), Mid-Western University, Nepal Agriculture and Forestry University and Siddhartha University. Two academic institutions that are equivalent to universities are: B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (1993) and National Academy of Medical Sciences (2002).
The Nature of Colleges
It is obvious that colleges since then have been always hot beds of political activity, and their activism has often been the cause of sweeping political changes. One can easily find a long list of political leaders calling the shots in the myriad of Nepal’s political parties, who were all once student leaders. In fact, it can almost be taken for granted now that presidents of student bodies will one day or the other, become ministers and even prime ministers. Ex Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is a good example as are Ram Chandra Poudyal, once a Deputy Prime Minister and Bijay Kumar Gachhadar, the present Deputy Prime Minister. All three were fiery student leaders and Gachhadar, in fact, was once shot in the head during student elections in the 1980s in Morang Multiple Campus in Biratnagar. The present Information Minister, Shankar Pokharel, was once the president of the national student union. Another ex minister, Surendra Choudhary, earned his political credentials as a student leader while studying at Thakur Ram Campus in Birganj, one of the pioneering colleges outside the capital. Because of its relatively easier path to prominence, it is a fact that there are many who keep on having themselves registered as students even when they are well past their student days, just so they keep on being student leaders. All student union bodies are offshoots of one political party or the other, making college environments into highly politicized ones. Student union elections are considered the harbingers of the next general elections - the union which gains a majority indicates which political party will win the next elections.
Nevertheless, higher education, which was once confined to government colleges and so, at the mercy of disturbances due to recurring political activism, is now available in a large number of private institutions where student activism even if present, is to a much lesser degree. However, as mentioned before, the clear majority of students seeking college degrees still attend the government colleges because of factors like cost and convenience of admission. In addition, there has been a spurt in private specialized institutions as well, with the result that for medicine alone, there are 12 colleges across the length and breadth of the country. Institute of Medicine, established in 1972 in Kathmandu is the country’s premier medical institution and it has 12 campuses nationwide. It is of course a welcome development which should augur in a great deal of self dependence in the medical field. At the same time, medical studies are not cheap and the tuition fees alone (disregarding other heavy costs like registration fees, hostel, books, etc.) can be somewhere in the range of Rs. 3 million for a MBBS degree program in private colleges.
As far as engineering colleges are concerned, there are 20 such institutions throughout the country providing degree programs in architecture, civil engineering, computer engineering, electronics and communication, electrical and electronics, energy engineering, civil and rural engineering, etc. Institute of Engineering (IOE) was established in 1972 and is the premier engineering institution in the country and it has four campuses, namely, Thapathali Campus, Pulchowk Campus, Eastern Regional Campus and Western Regional Campus. IOE also has the distinction of being adjudged as one of the best such colleges in South Asia. The Nepal Engineering College (NEC) established in 1994, is Nepal’s first private engineering college. Engineering studies appear to be much more affordable taking NEC’s fees as an example: Rs. 3, 97,000 for B. E. (4 yrs.), Rs. 4, 41,000 for B. E. (civil and rural - 4 & 1/2 yrs.) and Rs. 4, 85,000 for B. Arch (5 yrs.).
There are other specialized colleges are well, teaching a host of vocational subjects. Yes, colleges too have seen a noteworthy growth and this bodes well for the country. At the same time, these centers of higher learning need to be on their toes to see to it that the now customary ills of government campuses do not infect them as well. It must however, be admitted that this wasn’t always the case with government colleges. I remember how proud my father was when I gained admission to Amrit Science College in the 1970s. It was the eminent college of the time and if we were to go through its alumni, we would see that it consists of many renowned professionals, administrators and bureaucrats in its ranks. It was almost a given that almost all the doctors and engineers of the country would be products of this college. The case is not the same now and maybe it is to be expected that the old has to give in to the new. Well, seeing that there are so many good colleges now, one perhaps need not worry.
Final Words
Nepal indeed can be proud of its development in the educational sector. It has been a successful journey. But, at the same time, it is essential to keep in mind the guiding philosophy as enunciated by the experts (National Education Plan); ‘The goal of primary education is to teach reading, writing, and arithmetic, and to instill discipline and hygiene. Lower-secondary education should emphasize character formation, a positive attitude toward manual labor, and perseverance. Higher-secondary education should stress on manpower requirements and preparation for higher education.’ How far this philosophy is being adhered to is a question open to all: government, educationists, students, parents and public. Criticism that education has become big business and totally exam oriented is something we hear about often. Another valid criticism is that the environment in schools and colleges are being sullied by politics. Thus, to maintain and sustain the educational sector’s remarkable progress, the concerned people need to look back, reflect and take corrective measures wherever necessary. The mass exodus of students going abroad every year for higher studies is not a good development, but one which is partly due to the political activism so prevalent in our colleges. But, all said and done, there is much to cheer about in Nepal’s success in education. Success can only breed more success. If you don’t believe this, read the following.
‘A remarkable feature of the country’s education has been the speed with it has developed since 1952. Before the change in government in 1951, there were 200 primary schools, 224 middle and high schools, and 1 college in the country. Now there are over 5000 primary schools, 450 middle and high schools, and over 30 colleges including one university.’ This is what Consultant W. Olszak reported in 1966 while making a United Mission Report called ‘Establishment of Engineering Colleges in Nepal’. This year, the Ministry of Education’s Flash Report 2008/2009 reports that there are 31,156 schools in the country today, and there are over 600 colleges and more than half a dozen universities. Wonder what W. Olszak would say now?
Aayo Gorkhali
Rifleman Tulbahadur Pun of the 3rd Battalion was just 21 years old when he won the Victoria Cross for extraordinary courage under fire during the Chindit campaign in Burma on June 23, 1944. An excerpt from his citation reads thus:
“… the whole of his section was wiped out with the exception of himself, the section commander and one other man … The section commander immediately led the remaining two men in a charge on the Red House but was at once badly wounded. Rifleman Tulbahadur Pun and his remaining companion continued the charge but the latter too was immediately badly wounded. Rifleman Tulbahadur Pun then seized the Bren gun and, firing from the hip as he went, continued the charge on the heavily bunkered position alone, in the face of the most shattering concentration of automatic fire, directed straight at him… he presented a perfect target to the Japanese. He had to move for 30 yards over open ground, ankle deep in mud, through shell-holes and over fallen trees. Despite these overwhelming odds, he reached the Red House and closed with the Japanese occupants. He killed three and put five more to flight and captured two light machine guns and much ammunition. He then gave accurate supporting fire from the bunker to the remainder of his platoon which enabled them to reach their objective…”
Medals Galore
250,000 Gurkhas in 42 Infantry battalions fought during the Second World War. Of these, 7544 were killed, 1441 were presumed dead or missing and 23,655 were wounded. The Gurkhas received a total of 2734 bravery awards. Out of 100 Victoria Crosses (VC) awarded in the Second World War, as many as 31 were won in the Burma campaign and of these, 9 went to soldiers and officers of Gurkha regiments. Two Gurkhas won the VC in the course of the Italian campaign. If not for the fact that until 1911, only British officers of Gurkha regiments were eligible for the Victoria Cross, one can assume that the Gurkhas would have won many more VCs. As it was, Lieutenant John Adam Tytler, 33, of the 66th Goorkhas, became on February 10, 1858, the first officer of a Gurkha regiment to win the coveted honor for his actions in Haldwani (in what is now Uttarakhand State of India) at the height of the Indian Mutiny.
During the First World War, there were 33 battalions of Gurkhas in the British Indian Army of which 20 battalions were of regular Gurkha regiments while the rest were deployed as civil and military police forces. 200,000 Gurkha soldiers fought under the British flag. They suffered 20,000 casualties and won 2000 awards for gallantry. Out of twenty-six VCs won so far by Gurkha regiments (from 1858 to 1965) thirteen have gone to native Gurkhas and thirteen have been awarded to British officers of the regiments. The Gurkhas have also been awarded two George Cross medals as well, in addition to thousands of other lesser ones. The Indian Gurkha regiments have won many gallantry awards like the Param Vir Chakra and the Maha Vir Chakra. For his heroic actions during the 1962 Indo-China war, Major Dhan Singh Thapa of the 1/8 Gurkha Rifles won the Param Vir Chakra. Captain Gurbachan Singh Salaria of the 1st Gurkha Rifles also won the Param Vir Chakra posthumously for gallantry in the Congo in 1961. Acting Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey of the 1st battalion of the 11th Gurkha Rifles won the Param Vir Chakra posthumously in the Kargil War. There was once a time when it was usual to find children in Gurkha villages playing games in dusty village roads using war medals as playthings. Such was the abundance of medals won by Gurkhas.
Gurkha History
According to some accounts, the founder of the Gorkha family was a man called Kancha. He, along with brother Mincha, was the great grand son of King Bhupati Rana Rava of Chittore in India. King Bhupati and one of his three sons, Fatte Singh Ranjit Rana, were killed during the Mohammedan invasion led by Emperor Alla-Uh-Din. Another son, Udayabam Rana Rava, founded Udaipur while the third, Mamath Rana Rava, went to Ujjain. The latter had two sons, one of who went on to settle in the hills of what is now Nepal. Kancha and Mincha were his progeny.
The brothers were of Magar descent and their faith and customs were that of Magars although, undoubtedly, there was a healthy profusion of Rajput blood as well. While Mincha was chief of Nuwakot, Kaski, Tanahu and Lamjung, Kancha conquered the territory south of the Gandaki River, known as Mangranth, which included Gulmi, Dhor and Bhirkut. One can say that Kancha was the first known ruler of central Nepal, an area in which Magars and Gurungs were the predominant tribes. At this time in history, the Gorkha kingdom extended from Trisul Ganga in the east to the Marsyangdi River in the west. In the mid 18th century, King Prithvi Narayan Shah undertook a twenty-year odyssey that ultimately led to his rule over Nepal as a whole. His hill state of Gorkha gave its name to his followers, the Gorkhalis, while the name Gorkha itself took its name from its patron saint, Gorakh Nath.
In 1789, the Gurkhas pushed into, and annexed Sikkim, then invaded Tibet. However, in 1793, a massive Chinese and Tibetan army drove back the aggressive Gurkhas. Still, the Gurkhas’ lust for conquest was unquenchable. The Gurkhas invaded and occupied Kumaon and Garhwal in India, besides dominating for a short period, the Kangra valley (before being driven out by the Sikh army). As a matter of interest, with the conquest of Garhwal in 1794, the Gurkha kingdom extended from Bhutan to Kashmir and from the mountains of Tibet to the border of the British provinces of Agra and Oudh and Bihar to the south.
The Anglo-Nepal war
In 1814, the Gurkhas entered into a war with the British forces of India. And, this was when the British realized that here was an enemy that was worth its highest respects. Losing battle after battle and suffering immense losses to an army that was ill armed and numerically inferior was a testing time for British pride. As a matter of fact, in 1814, the entire Gurkha army was but 12000 in number and as far as arms were concerned, bows and arrows besides, of course, the khukri, were arms that were the most often used by the Gurkhas. In 1814, the British laid siege to the Khalanga-Nalapani fort in Dehradun (now in Uttarakhand, India). The battle of Nalapani was one of the most important milestones in the history of warfare. The British force consisted of a total of 20 battalions of British Infantry, Cavalry and Pioneer companies - an irregular force of about 6668 - supported by 20 pieces of artillery and two troops of the Horsed Artillery. The battle lasted for over 30 days (October 24, 1814 to November 30, 1814) in which many Gurkha soldiers, women and children made the supreme sacrifice. When General Gillespie’s men finally broke into the fort, his army was less by 750 men. Moreover, 31 of the officers had either been killed or wounded. It was a heavy price to pay for the defeat of a small force of only 600 Gurkhas.
The leader of the Gurkhas at Nalapani, Commander (General) Balbhadra Singh Thapa (Kunwar) escaped with 90 soldiers and retreated further west to Jyathak where they were joined by 300 fresh Gurkhas. Here, they were attacked by a combined force of three detachments of British soldiers under General Martindell, but when the smoke of battle had cleared, the British forces were in disarray, with 12 officers and almost 1500 soldiers dead or wounded. On February 17, 1815, Lieutenant Young, with some two thousand irregulars recruited from India’s Kumaon and Garhwal regions, was sent to intercept a party of 200 Nepalese Army reinforcements moving from Malaun to Jyathak. However, the soldiers panicked and ran away when coming face to face with the 200 Gurkhas under Ranjore Singh Thapa, and Young was taken prisoner.
The fall of Malaun (later in Himachal Pradesh, India) in May 1815, brought the British campaign of 1814-1815 to an end. But another was fought in 1816 when General David Ochterlony finally managed to defeat Amar Singh Thapa’s Gurkha army at the defile of Bichi Koh in Makwanpur of central Nepal. The war ended with the signing of the Sugauli Treaty on March 4, 1816. One of the conditions of which was that the British should be allowed to recruit Gurkha soldiers into their army. And thus began the international saga of the Gurkhas. However, another condition of the treaty was not as fortuitous; Nepal lost Sikkim, Garhwal, Kumaon and all of the Terai west of the Gandaki River. In 1857, fifteen officers and six regiments of the Nepalese army under Colonel Pehelwan Singh Basnet were dispatched to aid the British army in quelling the Indian Mutiny. That the Gurkhas played a pivotal role in putting down the mutiny is beyond doubt. As a token of their immense gratitude, the British ceded back the Terai to Nepal.
So impressed were the awed British that they admitted, “…as compared to other orientals, Gurkhas are bold, enduring, faithful, frank, very independent and self reliant men….” Brian Hodgson, an authoritative figure of the times, records further “…. and they possess preeminently that masculine energy of character and love of enterprise which distinguish so advantageously all the military races of Nepal.”
First Recruitments
At the same time, the British were confused at first as to the identification of the real martial races in the mountain kingdom. What they did know was that in Nalapani in 1814, the six hundred Gurkhas under Balbhadra Thapa’s command were predominantly Magars. The British knew that the Magars made up the awesome Purana Gorakh Army.
Lieutenant Frederick Young was assigned to recruit Gurkhas into the British army. As prisoner, he had had the opportunity of making a close hand study of these fearless fighters. He had come to the conclusion that while the Nepalese as a whole were a courageous people, those in the western parts of the country, particularly Gurungs, Magars, Thakuris, Puns and Tamangs were best suited to be soldiers. It was only sometime later that the British realized that there were equally fierce fighters in eastern Nepal and among them, Rais, Limbus, Sunwars and Tamangs were exceptionally brave. As far as another ethnic group was concerned that was as impressive as the rest, the Chettris, they were to be found all over the country.
The first of three battalions raised by the British consisted of Gurkhas from General Amar Singh Thapa’s defeated forces. Young made the first recruitment near Dehradun on April 24, 1816. He was the first commander of the Sirmoor Battalion, later Sirmoor Rifles and later still, the 2nd King Edward VII’s Own Gurkha Rifles. The Sirmoor Rifles remained in service for the next 165 years and Young remained its commander for 28 years. Soon, other battalions were formed, among them, two Nasiri battalions that were later amalgamated to form the 1st Gurkha Rifles. Later, this became the 1st King Edwards V’s Own Gurkha Rifles. Another battalion was raised at Almora as the Kumaon Battalion that later was known as the 3rd Gurkha Rifles, then still later, the 3rd Queen Alexandra’s Own Gurkha Rifles. In the late 1800s, the British commissioned a Lieutenant Colonel Eden Vannistart to make a still more thorough investigation into the different races of Nepal and to come up with concrete recommendations for a policy to follow regarding recruitment into the British Army. Till 1887, most of the 6th, 7th and 8th Gurkha Rifles consisted of recruits from areas around the Darjeeling hills. Later on, however, more and more men from western and eastern Nepal began to be recruited into the British Gurkha Army.
Nepali, British and Indian Gurkhas
It was not that the Gurkhas were not well known as the bravest of the brave before the world wars. All those who have fought against the Gurkhas have, in the end, come out of the fight with greater respect for their adversaries’ prowess and have been awed by their sheer courage under the most trying of circumstances - awed to such an extent that even former enemies wished to have Gurkhas join their armies instead. And so, even after losing to the Sikhs in Kangra (in Himachal Pradesh of India) in 1806, the Sikh Maharaja, Ranjit Singh, began to recruit Gurkhas into his army in Lahore (origin of the word ‘Lahure’ that was to define Nepalese soldiers in foreign armies from then on). After the Anglo-Nepal War (1813-1816) the British started recruiting them in good numbers. By the time First World War started, there were 11 Gurkha regiments under the British Indian Army.
British Gurkhas
Following India's independence in 1947, India, Nepal and Great Britain signed a Tripartite Agreement in November 1947, and six regiments of the Gurkha Rifles joined the Indian Army. The British held on to the 2nd King Edward VII’s Own Gurkha Rifles, the 6th Queen Elizabeth’s Own Gurkha Rifles, the 7th Duke of Edinburgh’s Own Gurkha Rifles and the 10th Princess Mary’s Own Gurkha Rifles (all of which existed till 1994, thereafter they became known as the Royal Gurkha Rifles). Known as the Brigade of Gurkhas, they were initially stationed in Malaya. During the Malayan Emergency, Gurkhas fought as jungle soldiers as they had done in Burma. In 1962, the 2nd Gurkha Rifles was stationed in Tidworth, Wiltshire. On December 7 of the same year, the unit was deployed to Brunei at the outbreak of the Brunei Revolt. Later, the battalion was transferred to Hong Kong to implement security duties during the turmoil of the Chinese Cultural Revolution. The other battalions were stationed in the UK and Brunei. In 1971, the 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles, stationed at Church Crookham, Hampshire, became the first Gurkhas to mount the Queen's Guard. In 1974, the 10th Gurkha Rifles was sent to defend the British sovereign base area of Dhekelia when Turkey invaded Cyprus. In 1994, the Royal Gurkha Rifles regiment had three battalions. However, in 1996, the 3rd Battalion was amalgamated with the 2nd Battalion as part of run down of British forces in Hong Kong. Of the two battalions, one is based at Shorncliffe in Kent while the other is based at the British garrison in Brunei. In December 1999, the Gurkha Training Wing at Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire became Gurkha Company, 3rd Battalion, Infantry Training Centre (ITC). Although traditionally Gurkha regiments have always had British officers, now there are many Gurkha officers as well.
Recruitment into the British Army is based on certain stringent criteria and goes through four stages. Firstly, hill selections are held at various locations in Nepal and it has been seen that there are usually 30 applicants for every place available. Potential recruits must be between 17 and 22 years of age, height must be at least 5 feet 2 inches (1.57 m), weight at least 50 kilograms (110 pounds), health must be in good stead and some educational background is required. The second stage is conducted at the Pokhara Selection Centre and lasts for three weeks. Candidates must pass the following tests: English grammar, mathematics, fitness test, initiative test and the final interview. At this stage candidates for the Gurkha Contingent Singapore Police Force, are also selected. The third stage is a nine-month long course at GTW Infantry Training Centre Catterick in North Yorkshire, UK, consisting of basic training, language training (three months), military skills and western culture and customs. The final stage is marked by the passing out parade of the successful recruits.
Indian Gurkhas
The 1st King George V’s Own Gurkha Rifles, the 3rd Queen Alexandra’s Own Gurkha Rifles, the 4th Prince of Wales Own Gurkha Rifles, the 5th Gurkha Rifles, the 8th Gurkha Rifles and the 9th Gurkha Rifles were transferred to the Indian Army. During the transfer period, soldiers of the 7th Gurkha Rifles and the 10th Gurkha Rifles, which recruited from Eastern Nepal, had decided not to join the British Army and, so as to retain a contingent from this area of Nepal, the Indian Army made the decision to re-raise the 11 Gurkha Rifles on January 1, 1948. The Gurkhas have fought in every major Indian army campaign winning numerous battle and theatre honors. The 8th Gurkha Rifles is one of the most celebrated regiments of the Indian Army, having received numerous citations for bravery in the field of battle, and even producing one of the two field marshals, Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, of the Indian Army.
Till some years back, the 11th Gurkha Rifles was made up of only Rai and Limbu soldiers, whereas, the 9th Gurkha Rifles consisted of Chettris and Bahuns. The other regiments had only Magars and Gurungs. At the present moment, the Indian army has no caste bars as far as recruitment is concerned. The only requirements are: the person should be aged between 17.5 and 21 years; that he should have a height of at least 160 cm; weight of 48 kgs; chest should be 77 cm which on inflation should be a further 0.05 cm. Additionally, the potential recruit is to have passed at least SLC (for sons of ex-army men, class eight pass is enough). According to Hon. Captain (Retd) Krishna Bahadur Kunwar, Supervisor of the Military Pension Branch at the Bharatiya Gorkha Sainik Niwas in Kathmandu, recruitment of Nepalese men into the Indian army has been on the wane since the last few years. India has only recently resumed recruitment this year after a lull of fully two years. According to Captain (Retd) Kunwar, figures of Nepali Gurkhas in the Indian Army is about 40,000 (27,000 according to the news website http://in.news.yahoo.com) while about 250,000 ex-Indian Gurkhas are on pension, which for retired captains could be as much as IRs 14,000 to IRs.15,000 every month.
Nepal Gurkhas
In 1763, King Prithvi Narayan Shah raised the Sri Nath Battalion as the first battalion of the Gorkha army. The Shri Purano Gorakh Battalion was also raised in the same year. In the next twenty years his army grew to ten ‘gans’ (infantry battalions) and some independent Himal companies called ‘gulmas’ (meant to defend and administer conquered territories). During the 1940’s the Nepalese army consisted of 15 infantry battalions and 25 independent companies. In 1952, it had 3 brigades, 30 battalions and 39 independent companies. The current numbers of the Nepal Army is said to be about 90,000 with six divisional headquarters: the Far Western Divisional HQ in Dipayal, the Mid Western Division HQ in Surkhet, the Western Division HQ in Pokhara, the Central Division HQ in Suparitar of Makwanpur District, the Valley Division HQ in Kathmandu and the Eastern Division HQ in Dhankuta.
The Shri Kali Bahadur Battalion, raised in 1831, consists of only Gurungs while the Shri Purano Gorakh Batallion has only Magar soldiers. The Shri Bhairab Nath Gan (now called the Special Forces battalion deployed in Achham in the far west) has only Limbu soldiers. Till recently, the Kali Bahadur and the Gorakhnath Gans were assigned permanently as palace guard battalions, with one always deployed at the palace. The other palace guard battalion was chosen by the king - usually the battalion winning the King’s Banner in that year. Today, the Nepalese Army maintains a national character in terms of inclusion of all castes, ethnic communities, genders, regions and religions. Recruitment is voluntary and competitive. As of July 2008, 18 of the decision making level posts (Major General and above) included eight Chhetris, two Limbus, two Brahmins, two Gurungs, two Thakuris, one Rana, and one Newar.
The Nepalese Army’s combat operations to date have been the British – Nepal war in 1813-1816; the wars with Tibet in 1788, 1792 and 1855; the Khampa campaign in 1976, and of course, the recently concluded campaign against Maoist insurgency within the country. In the early 1970’s, some 9000 "Khampas” (Tibetans who were resisting Chinese authority) established high altitude camps in Nepal as launch pads for operations into the Chinese Autonomous Region of Tibet and by 1973, were using Mustang in remote Nepal as a firm base. Diplomacy having failed, Nepal, a brigade sized Nepal Army taskforce left Pokhara on 15th June 1974 and the Khampa surrendered on 31st July 1974.
The Nepalese Army participated in World War I with nine battalions under the commands of General Babar Shumshere, General Tej Shumshere and General Padam Shumshere. Additionally, Nepal also sent almost two hundred thousand troops to fight as part of the British Indian Army itself. In 1917, the Mahindra Dal Battalion and First Rifle Battalion were involved in the Waziristan War when the area was a NW Frontier of British India. Nepalese troops commanded by Gen Baber Shumshere also went to the aid of British troops in the Afghanistan War of 1919. Fifteen Nepalese battalions were involved in the Second World War led by the late Commander-in-Chief Kiran Shumshere Rana and ex-Commander-in-Chief and Field Marshall Nir Shumshere Rana.
When Japan got involved in this war in December 1940, four Nepalese battalions fighting under Allied Command were deployed against them. The Nepalese troops fought with great ferocity, particularly on the Burma front, and helped force the eventual Japanese retreat from the Indian subcontinent. After the British left India in 1947 religious violence between Hindu and Muslim communities erupted in many places and Indian Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru requested Nepal’s assistance to quell the situation. Twenty battalions led by Maj Gen Sharada SJB Rana were deployed in many parts of India where they contributed greatly in stabilizing the situation.
Singapore, Brunei, Malaya, Bahrain
On April 9, 1949, selected ex-British Army Gurkhas were recruited by the Singapore government to form the Gurkha Contingent (GC) of the Singapore Police Force. In its role as a specialist guard force, the Gurkha Contingent is deployed as a reaction force during times of crisis and its members are esteemed for their ‘display of courage, self-restraint and professionalism’. In the Sultanate of Brunei, the 2,000 strong Gurkha Reserve Unit makes for a special guard force of the small sultanate. Made up of British Army veterans, the unit functions basically as a praetorian guard to protect the sultan, the royal family as well as oil installations. After the independence of Malaya from the United Kingdom in August 1957, many Gurkhas joined the Malayan armed forces, particularly in the Royal Ranger Regiment. And in Bahrain, the United States navy employs Gurkha guards as sentries at its base there. The United States also employs Gurkhas sometimes to provide security for some U.S. Consulates and ships in foreign ports.
Action Stations
The Gurkhas have seen action in the humid jungles of Burma, Borneo and Malaya, the arid deserts of North Africa, the rocky mountains of Afghanistan, Baluchistan and the New Frontier, in and around the deep waters of the Mediterranean and the Pacific, the battle fields of France, Italy and Greece. The Gurkhas have delivered what has been asked of them in Palestine, in Jerusalem, in Hong Kong, in Singapore, in Persia, in Iraq, in India, in Tunis and in the Falklands. As an integral part of the United Nations Peace Keeping Force (UNPKF) Gurkhas have been deployed in some of the deadliest of the newer battlegrounds where civil, ethnic, political, religious and other strife has torn countries asunder and taken countless lives. In fact, of the about 90,000 soldiers in the Nepalese Army, almost half have UNPKF experience and have been part of peacekeeping forces in places like Congo, Liberia, Haiti, Burundi and Sudan besides other equally dangerous places savaged by horrific conflict.
In recent times, Gurkhas have also been in the limelight in Iraq and Afghanistan. According to Afghan sources, “Previously, Nepalis in Afghanistan worked only with the American private security companies. Now, in Shindand Airport (in western Afghanistan) they are under the direct command of US ‘Special Forces’. In Kandahar, they ‘work’ with Canadian forces, at the Provincial Reconstruction Team headquarters, in Ghazni they are associated with Polish forces, in Kabul and other regions they are linked with American private security companies.” During Prince Harry’s 77 day stay in Afghanistan, he was attached to the 1st Royal Gurkha Rifles battle group as a Forward Air Controller. One also recalls seeing on screen, the familiar sight of Gurkhas patrolling war torn streets during the Iraq war. However, much before then, it was the Falklands war in 1985 that really brought to mind Gurkha legends of yore, and created a new one as well in the process. At the end of it, here is what Brigadier David Morgan had to say about the whole affair, “It must never be forgotten that the much feared fighters from Nepal played a critical and decisive part in the final downfall of the Argentineans. It was the Gurkha’s reputation that helped win the war in the Falklands.” He also states, “Their reputation has always run before them – but the Gurkhas have always delivered. They have always shown that they have the mettle, the skills and all the courage to fight to the last.” Could one fault then, the Argentineans, for surrendering without a fight at the mere knowledge that the fearsome Gurkhas were coming? One of them later tried to justify the surrender by saying, “We didn’t want our heads to be chopped off.”
The Khukuri
And when there is talk of chopping heads and so forth can mention of the khukri be far behind? This weapon of choice of the Gurkhas has earned its own place in the annals of warfare and yes, has indeed done a lot of chopping. Unfortunately, not only wood. There is a story in which Gurkha soldiers were ordered to bring back severed heads of the enemy during the 1st World War. One stocky chap came back from the jungle and threw a dozen or so ears to the ground in front of the officer. “The heads were too heavy to carry,” was his short but succinct explanation. Similarly, there is another story in which a Gurkha with a khukri in his hand comes face to face with Japanese carrying a samurai sword. The Japanese manages to wound the Gurkha and even slices off his arm whereupon the Gurkha tells his foe, “You may have wounded me, but let’s see you nod your head.”
Well, this could indeed sound a bit far fetched but such are the legends built around Gurkhas and their khukris. Functioning as a cross between a knife and an axe, the khukri is designed for chopping and stabbing purposes in war, but can be used in daily tasks like cutting meat and vegetables or trees and so forth. The blade is deflected at an angle of 20° or more and although the size varies, the blade usually measures about 3 to 10 cm wide and 30 to 38 cm long. Its thick spine and sharp cutting edge greatly increasing chopping effectiveness. Khukuris are so balanced as to rest in a vertical position if supported on a fulcrum. The handles are often made from hardwood or water buffalo horn but, whatever the handles may be made of, the khukri has terrified all enemies since ages past. Not the least being the British when they first came face to face with the Gurkhas in 1814.
The Future
In the subsequent tide of a turbulent world history that included two great wars, and many lesser ones, the Gurkhas became legends in the annals of warfare. These were the times when an analogy was often made between the Switzerland of the middles ages and Nepal. In the middle ages the Swiss were poor but made fine soldiers and so, were in great demand as mercenaries throughout Europe. Similar has been, and unfortunately (?), continues to be so, with the Nepalese. It would be a good idea for people to consider this reason for the analogy before touting Nepal as the Switzerland of the East. The Afghan Maoists are objecting to the deployment of Gurkha soldiers from Nepal in the UN contingents deployed in Afghanistan as well as the British Army.
The world, and specially Britain (once, the greatest empire on earth), have reason enough to be grateful to the Gurkhas for their sacrifices in ensuring a freer world. However, who can stop the relentless changes that come with time? The handover of Hong Kong to China resulted in a drastic reduction in the number of Gurkhas in the British forces. While this was a mere required policy change for those in Whitehall, London, for the many Englishmen who had served so proudly with the Gurkha regiments, it was a most trying time to say the least. Especially when the reductions the politicians were asking for was a massive 70%. It was a distressing turn of events to be sure, because while initially, economic reasons preceded everything else in the desire to be a British Gurkha, in later times, becoming one had become more of a proud tradition among many families of the Nepal hills.
That the Gurkhas have had their day as an integral part of Britain’s army would be a statement that could be a bit premature. Nevertheless, today, only a handful is recruited every year at the one solitary recruiting camp in Pokhara (the Dharan camp was closed a long while ago, it not being found justifiable taking into account the low numbers to be recruited) and the numbers continue to dwindle every year. In the meantime, in the light of such a disappointing future scenario, a protracted but quite successful court battle for equal pension as their British counterparts has been cause for some succor. At the same time, with the recent policy changes giving permission to many ex British Gurkhas to live and work in Britain, there is a certain amount of concern at the loss of the useful remittance hitherto received in Nepal. Without doubt, Nepal has benefited significantly from the remittances from its soldiers abroad and in the case of the British Gurkhas, especially, there have been many positive changes in the villages of Nepal, they bringing in new found knowledge and awareness besides of course, investment. The rapid development of cities like Dharan and Pokhara particularly, owe much to the Gurkhas serving on foreign shores.
There is reason now to believe that a similar situation could arise regarding recruitment into the India army, an important employment avenue for many now, and in the past. The irony is that, the skills, the bravery and the prowess of the Gurkhas can only be demonstrated in times of war and, naturally, the value and the worth of Gurkhas rise a thousand fold during such times. However, as Hon. Captain (Retd) Kunwar says, “There have been no major wars since 1971.” Seeing that he served in the 4/9th Gurkha Rifles in India, he must of course be referring to the three Indo-Pak wars of 1947, 1965 and 1971 as well as the Indo-China War of 1962, wars in which Gurkhas won two Param Vir Chakras (India’s highest war honor) besides many other gallantry awards.
As far as things like rank and career progressions are concerned, according to Captain Kunwar, “I believe that up to now, the highest ranking Indian Gurkha has been Brigadier Giri Prasad Pun. However, there are many senior Gurkhali officers nowadays in the Indian army.” It is also interesting to know that in December 1995, Lieutenant-Colonel Bijay Kumar Rawat became the commanding officer of the 1st Battalion, the first Nepalese to become a battalion commander in the Royal Gurkha Rifles. He oversaw the departure of the battalion from Hong Kong just before its transfer to Chinese control in 1996.
Nonetheless, taking cues from all that’s happening around the world, including the ways of modern warfare, it would be justifiable to believe that perhaps one might not come across many newer legends of the fearless Gurkhas in the days to come. Perhaps, one will have to now take recourse to the stories as recounted in the hundreds of laudatory books. Perhaps one will have to remain content knowing that the Gurkhas will forever be regarded as the ‘Bravest of the Brave’ and be proud of the fact that their motto ‘Better to Die than be a Coward’ has been proven a ringing truth countless times in the killing fields of many wars. And finally, the following high praise by one who served with the brave Gurkhas during World War One, really says it all:
“As I write these last words, my thoughts return to you who were my comrades, the stubborn and indomitable peasants of Nepal. Once more I hear the laughter with which you greeted every hardship. Once more I see you in your bivouacs or about your fires, on forced march or in the trenches, now shivering with wet and cold, now scorched by a pitiless and burning sun. Uncomplaining you endure hunger and thirst and wounds; and at the last your unwavering lines disappear into the smoke and wrath of battle. Bravest of the brave, most generous of the generous, never had country more faithful friends than you
Professor Sir Ralph Turner, MC
3rd Queen Alexandra's Own Gurkha Rifles
Sources: The Gurkhas (W.Brook Northey and C.J.Morris)
The Gurkhas, The Inside Story of the World’s Most Feared Soldiers (John Parker)
The Royal Nepal Army: Meeting the Maoist Challenge (Ashok K Mehta)
“… the whole of his section was wiped out with the exception of himself, the section commander and one other man … The section commander immediately led the remaining two men in a charge on the Red House but was at once badly wounded. Rifleman Tulbahadur Pun and his remaining companion continued the charge but the latter too was immediately badly wounded. Rifleman Tulbahadur Pun then seized the Bren gun and, firing from the hip as he went, continued the charge on the heavily bunkered position alone, in the face of the most shattering concentration of automatic fire, directed straight at him… he presented a perfect target to the Japanese. He had to move for 30 yards over open ground, ankle deep in mud, through shell-holes and over fallen trees. Despite these overwhelming odds, he reached the Red House and closed with the Japanese occupants. He killed three and put five more to flight and captured two light machine guns and much ammunition. He then gave accurate supporting fire from the bunker to the remainder of his platoon which enabled them to reach their objective…”
Medals Galore
250,000 Gurkhas in 42 Infantry battalions fought during the Second World War. Of these, 7544 were killed, 1441 were presumed dead or missing and 23,655 were wounded. The Gurkhas received a total of 2734 bravery awards. Out of 100 Victoria Crosses (VC) awarded in the Second World War, as many as 31 were won in the Burma campaign and of these, 9 went to soldiers and officers of Gurkha regiments. Two Gurkhas won the VC in the course of the Italian campaign. If not for the fact that until 1911, only British officers of Gurkha regiments were eligible for the Victoria Cross, one can assume that the Gurkhas would have won many more VCs. As it was, Lieutenant John Adam Tytler, 33, of the 66th Goorkhas, became on February 10, 1858, the first officer of a Gurkha regiment to win the coveted honor for his actions in Haldwani (in what is now Uttarakhand State of India) at the height of the Indian Mutiny.
During the First World War, there were 33 battalions of Gurkhas in the British Indian Army of which 20 battalions were of regular Gurkha regiments while the rest were deployed as civil and military police forces. 200,000 Gurkha soldiers fought under the British flag. They suffered 20,000 casualties and won 2000 awards for gallantry. Out of twenty-six VCs won so far by Gurkha regiments (from 1858 to 1965) thirteen have gone to native Gurkhas and thirteen have been awarded to British officers of the regiments. The Gurkhas have also been awarded two George Cross medals as well, in addition to thousands of other lesser ones. The Indian Gurkha regiments have won many gallantry awards like the Param Vir Chakra and the Maha Vir Chakra. For his heroic actions during the 1962 Indo-China war, Major Dhan Singh Thapa of the 1/8 Gurkha Rifles won the Param Vir Chakra. Captain Gurbachan Singh Salaria of the 1st Gurkha Rifles also won the Param Vir Chakra posthumously for gallantry in the Congo in 1961. Acting Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey of the 1st battalion of the 11th Gurkha Rifles won the Param Vir Chakra posthumously in the Kargil War. There was once a time when it was usual to find children in Gurkha villages playing games in dusty village roads using war medals as playthings. Such was the abundance of medals won by Gurkhas.
Gurkha History
According to some accounts, the founder of the Gorkha family was a man called Kancha. He, along with brother Mincha, was the great grand son of King Bhupati Rana Rava of Chittore in India. King Bhupati and one of his three sons, Fatte Singh Ranjit Rana, were killed during the Mohammedan invasion led by Emperor Alla-Uh-Din. Another son, Udayabam Rana Rava, founded Udaipur while the third, Mamath Rana Rava, went to Ujjain. The latter had two sons, one of who went on to settle in the hills of what is now Nepal. Kancha and Mincha were his progeny.
The brothers were of Magar descent and their faith and customs were that of Magars although, undoubtedly, there was a healthy profusion of Rajput blood as well. While Mincha was chief of Nuwakot, Kaski, Tanahu and Lamjung, Kancha conquered the territory south of the Gandaki River, known as Mangranth, which included Gulmi, Dhor and Bhirkut. One can say that Kancha was the first known ruler of central Nepal, an area in which Magars and Gurungs were the predominant tribes. At this time in history, the Gorkha kingdom extended from Trisul Ganga in the east to the Marsyangdi River in the west. In the mid 18th century, King Prithvi Narayan Shah undertook a twenty-year odyssey that ultimately led to his rule over Nepal as a whole. His hill state of Gorkha gave its name to his followers, the Gorkhalis, while the name Gorkha itself took its name from its patron saint, Gorakh Nath.
In 1789, the Gurkhas pushed into, and annexed Sikkim, then invaded Tibet. However, in 1793, a massive Chinese and Tibetan army drove back the aggressive Gurkhas. Still, the Gurkhas’ lust for conquest was unquenchable. The Gurkhas invaded and occupied Kumaon and Garhwal in India, besides dominating for a short period, the Kangra valley (before being driven out by the Sikh army). As a matter of interest, with the conquest of Garhwal in 1794, the Gurkha kingdom extended from Bhutan to Kashmir and from the mountains of Tibet to the border of the British provinces of Agra and Oudh and Bihar to the south.
The Anglo-Nepal war
In 1814, the Gurkhas entered into a war with the British forces of India. And, this was when the British realized that here was an enemy that was worth its highest respects. Losing battle after battle and suffering immense losses to an army that was ill armed and numerically inferior was a testing time for British pride. As a matter of fact, in 1814, the entire Gurkha army was but 12000 in number and as far as arms were concerned, bows and arrows besides, of course, the khukri, were arms that were the most often used by the Gurkhas. In 1814, the British laid siege to the Khalanga-Nalapani fort in Dehradun (now in Uttarakhand, India). The battle of Nalapani was one of the most important milestones in the history of warfare. The British force consisted of a total of 20 battalions of British Infantry, Cavalry and Pioneer companies - an irregular force of about 6668 - supported by 20 pieces of artillery and two troops of the Horsed Artillery. The battle lasted for over 30 days (October 24, 1814 to November 30, 1814) in which many Gurkha soldiers, women and children made the supreme sacrifice. When General Gillespie’s men finally broke into the fort, his army was less by 750 men. Moreover, 31 of the officers had either been killed or wounded. It was a heavy price to pay for the defeat of a small force of only 600 Gurkhas.
The leader of the Gurkhas at Nalapani, Commander (General) Balbhadra Singh Thapa (Kunwar) escaped with 90 soldiers and retreated further west to Jyathak where they were joined by 300 fresh Gurkhas. Here, they were attacked by a combined force of three detachments of British soldiers under General Martindell, but when the smoke of battle had cleared, the British forces were in disarray, with 12 officers and almost 1500 soldiers dead or wounded. On February 17, 1815, Lieutenant Young, with some two thousand irregulars recruited from India’s Kumaon and Garhwal regions, was sent to intercept a party of 200 Nepalese Army reinforcements moving from Malaun to Jyathak. However, the soldiers panicked and ran away when coming face to face with the 200 Gurkhas under Ranjore Singh Thapa, and Young was taken prisoner.
The fall of Malaun (later in Himachal Pradesh, India) in May 1815, brought the British campaign of 1814-1815 to an end. But another was fought in 1816 when General David Ochterlony finally managed to defeat Amar Singh Thapa’s Gurkha army at the defile of Bichi Koh in Makwanpur of central Nepal. The war ended with the signing of the Sugauli Treaty on March 4, 1816. One of the conditions of which was that the British should be allowed to recruit Gurkha soldiers into their army. And thus began the international saga of the Gurkhas. However, another condition of the treaty was not as fortuitous; Nepal lost Sikkim, Garhwal, Kumaon and all of the Terai west of the Gandaki River. In 1857, fifteen officers and six regiments of the Nepalese army under Colonel Pehelwan Singh Basnet were dispatched to aid the British army in quelling the Indian Mutiny. That the Gurkhas played a pivotal role in putting down the mutiny is beyond doubt. As a token of their immense gratitude, the British ceded back the Terai to Nepal.
So impressed were the awed British that they admitted, “…as compared to other orientals, Gurkhas are bold, enduring, faithful, frank, very independent and self reliant men….” Brian Hodgson, an authoritative figure of the times, records further “…. and they possess preeminently that masculine energy of character and love of enterprise which distinguish so advantageously all the military races of Nepal.”
First Recruitments
At the same time, the British were confused at first as to the identification of the real martial races in the mountain kingdom. What they did know was that in Nalapani in 1814, the six hundred Gurkhas under Balbhadra Thapa’s command were predominantly Magars. The British knew that the Magars made up the awesome Purana Gorakh Army.
Lieutenant Frederick Young was assigned to recruit Gurkhas into the British army. As prisoner, he had had the opportunity of making a close hand study of these fearless fighters. He had come to the conclusion that while the Nepalese as a whole were a courageous people, those in the western parts of the country, particularly Gurungs, Magars, Thakuris, Puns and Tamangs were best suited to be soldiers. It was only sometime later that the British realized that there were equally fierce fighters in eastern Nepal and among them, Rais, Limbus, Sunwars and Tamangs were exceptionally brave. As far as another ethnic group was concerned that was as impressive as the rest, the Chettris, they were to be found all over the country.
The first of three battalions raised by the British consisted of Gurkhas from General Amar Singh Thapa’s defeated forces. Young made the first recruitment near Dehradun on April 24, 1816. He was the first commander of the Sirmoor Battalion, later Sirmoor Rifles and later still, the 2nd King Edward VII’s Own Gurkha Rifles. The Sirmoor Rifles remained in service for the next 165 years and Young remained its commander for 28 years. Soon, other battalions were formed, among them, two Nasiri battalions that were later amalgamated to form the 1st Gurkha Rifles. Later, this became the 1st King Edwards V’s Own Gurkha Rifles. Another battalion was raised at Almora as the Kumaon Battalion that later was known as the 3rd Gurkha Rifles, then still later, the 3rd Queen Alexandra’s Own Gurkha Rifles. In the late 1800s, the British commissioned a Lieutenant Colonel Eden Vannistart to make a still more thorough investigation into the different races of Nepal and to come up with concrete recommendations for a policy to follow regarding recruitment into the British Army. Till 1887, most of the 6th, 7th and 8th Gurkha Rifles consisted of recruits from areas around the Darjeeling hills. Later on, however, more and more men from western and eastern Nepal began to be recruited into the British Gurkha Army.
Nepali, British and Indian Gurkhas
It was not that the Gurkhas were not well known as the bravest of the brave before the world wars. All those who have fought against the Gurkhas have, in the end, come out of the fight with greater respect for their adversaries’ prowess and have been awed by their sheer courage under the most trying of circumstances - awed to such an extent that even former enemies wished to have Gurkhas join their armies instead. And so, even after losing to the Sikhs in Kangra (in Himachal Pradesh of India) in 1806, the Sikh Maharaja, Ranjit Singh, began to recruit Gurkhas into his army in Lahore (origin of the word ‘Lahure’ that was to define Nepalese soldiers in foreign armies from then on). After the Anglo-Nepal War (1813-1816) the British started recruiting them in good numbers. By the time First World War started, there were 11 Gurkha regiments under the British Indian Army.
British Gurkhas
Following India's independence in 1947, India, Nepal and Great Britain signed a Tripartite Agreement in November 1947, and six regiments of the Gurkha Rifles joined the Indian Army. The British held on to the 2nd King Edward VII’s Own Gurkha Rifles, the 6th Queen Elizabeth’s Own Gurkha Rifles, the 7th Duke of Edinburgh’s Own Gurkha Rifles and the 10th Princess Mary’s Own Gurkha Rifles (all of which existed till 1994, thereafter they became known as the Royal Gurkha Rifles). Known as the Brigade of Gurkhas, they were initially stationed in Malaya. During the Malayan Emergency, Gurkhas fought as jungle soldiers as they had done in Burma. In 1962, the 2nd Gurkha Rifles was stationed in Tidworth, Wiltshire. On December 7 of the same year, the unit was deployed to Brunei at the outbreak of the Brunei Revolt. Later, the battalion was transferred to Hong Kong to implement security duties during the turmoil of the Chinese Cultural Revolution. The other battalions were stationed in the UK and Brunei. In 1971, the 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles, stationed at Church Crookham, Hampshire, became the first Gurkhas to mount the Queen's Guard. In 1974, the 10th Gurkha Rifles was sent to defend the British sovereign base area of Dhekelia when Turkey invaded Cyprus. In 1994, the Royal Gurkha Rifles regiment had three battalions. However, in 1996, the 3rd Battalion was amalgamated with the 2nd Battalion as part of run down of British forces in Hong Kong. Of the two battalions, one is based at Shorncliffe in Kent while the other is based at the British garrison in Brunei. In December 1999, the Gurkha Training Wing at Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire became Gurkha Company, 3rd Battalion, Infantry Training Centre (ITC). Although traditionally Gurkha regiments have always had British officers, now there are many Gurkha officers as well.
Recruitment into the British Army is based on certain stringent criteria and goes through four stages. Firstly, hill selections are held at various locations in Nepal and it has been seen that there are usually 30 applicants for every place available. Potential recruits must be between 17 and 22 years of age, height must be at least 5 feet 2 inches (1.57 m), weight at least 50 kilograms (110 pounds), health must be in good stead and some educational background is required. The second stage is conducted at the Pokhara Selection Centre and lasts for three weeks. Candidates must pass the following tests: English grammar, mathematics, fitness test, initiative test and the final interview. At this stage candidates for the Gurkha Contingent Singapore Police Force, are also selected. The third stage is a nine-month long course at GTW Infantry Training Centre Catterick in North Yorkshire, UK, consisting of basic training, language training (three months), military skills and western culture and customs. The final stage is marked by the passing out parade of the successful recruits.
Indian Gurkhas
The 1st King George V’s Own Gurkha Rifles, the 3rd Queen Alexandra’s Own Gurkha Rifles, the 4th Prince of Wales Own Gurkha Rifles, the 5th Gurkha Rifles, the 8th Gurkha Rifles and the 9th Gurkha Rifles were transferred to the Indian Army. During the transfer period, soldiers of the 7th Gurkha Rifles and the 10th Gurkha Rifles, which recruited from Eastern Nepal, had decided not to join the British Army and, so as to retain a contingent from this area of Nepal, the Indian Army made the decision to re-raise the 11 Gurkha Rifles on January 1, 1948. The Gurkhas have fought in every major Indian army campaign winning numerous battle and theatre honors. The 8th Gurkha Rifles is one of the most celebrated regiments of the Indian Army, having received numerous citations for bravery in the field of battle, and even producing one of the two field marshals, Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, of the Indian Army.
Till some years back, the 11th Gurkha Rifles was made up of only Rai and Limbu soldiers, whereas, the 9th Gurkha Rifles consisted of Chettris and Bahuns. The other regiments had only Magars and Gurungs. At the present moment, the Indian army has no caste bars as far as recruitment is concerned. The only requirements are: the person should be aged between 17.5 and 21 years; that he should have a height of at least 160 cm; weight of 48 kgs; chest should be 77 cm which on inflation should be a further 0.05 cm. Additionally, the potential recruit is to have passed at least SLC (for sons of ex-army men, class eight pass is enough). According to Hon. Captain (Retd) Krishna Bahadur Kunwar, Supervisor of the Military Pension Branch at the Bharatiya Gorkha Sainik Niwas in Kathmandu, recruitment of Nepalese men into the Indian army has been on the wane since the last few years. India has only recently resumed recruitment this year after a lull of fully two years. According to Captain (Retd) Kunwar, figures of Nepali Gurkhas in the Indian Army is about 40,000 (27,000 according to the news website http://in.news.yahoo.com) while about 250,000 ex-Indian Gurkhas are on pension, which for retired captains could be as much as IRs 14,000 to IRs.15,000 every month.
Nepal Gurkhas
In 1763, King Prithvi Narayan Shah raised the Sri Nath Battalion as the first battalion of the Gorkha army. The Shri Purano Gorakh Battalion was also raised in the same year. In the next twenty years his army grew to ten ‘gans’ (infantry battalions) and some independent Himal companies called ‘gulmas’ (meant to defend and administer conquered territories). During the 1940’s the Nepalese army consisted of 15 infantry battalions and 25 independent companies. In 1952, it had 3 brigades, 30 battalions and 39 independent companies. The current numbers of the Nepal Army is said to be about 90,000 with six divisional headquarters: the Far Western Divisional HQ in Dipayal, the Mid Western Division HQ in Surkhet, the Western Division HQ in Pokhara, the Central Division HQ in Suparitar of Makwanpur District, the Valley Division HQ in Kathmandu and the Eastern Division HQ in Dhankuta.
The Shri Kali Bahadur Battalion, raised in 1831, consists of only Gurungs while the Shri Purano Gorakh Batallion has only Magar soldiers. The Shri Bhairab Nath Gan (now called the Special Forces battalion deployed in Achham in the far west) has only Limbu soldiers. Till recently, the Kali Bahadur and the Gorakhnath Gans were assigned permanently as palace guard battalions, with one always deployed at the palace. The other palace guard battalion was chosen by the king - usually the battalion winning the King’s Banner in that year. Today, the Nepalese Army maintains a national character in terms of inclusion of all castes, ethnic communities, genders, regions and religions. Recruitment is voluntary and competitive. As of July 2008, 18 of the decision making level posts (Major General and above) included eight Chhetris, two Limbus, two Brahmins, two Gurungs, two Thakuris, one Rana, and one Newar.
The Nepalese Army’s combat operations to date have been the British – Nepal war in 1813-1816; the wars with Tibet in 1788, 1792 and 1855; the Khampa campaign in 1976, and of course, the recently concluded campaign against Maoist insurgency within the country. In the early 1970’s, some 9000 "Khampas” (Tibetans who were resisting Chinese authority) established high altitude camps in Nepal as launch pads for operations into the Chinese Autonomous Region of Tibet and by 1973, were using Mustang in remote Nepal as a firm base. Diplomacy having failed, Nepal, a brigade sized Nepal Army taskforce left Pokhara on 15th June 1974 and the Khampa surrendered on 31st July 1974.
The Nepalese Army participated in World War I with nine battalions under the commands of General Babar Shumshere, General Tej Shumshere and General Padam Shumshere. Additionally, Nepal also sent almost two hundred thousand troops to fight as part of the British Indian Army itself. In 1917, the Mahindra Dal Battalion and First Rifle Battalion were involved in the Waziristan War when the area was a NW Frontier of British India. Nepalese troops commanded by Gen Baber Shumshere also went to the aid of British troops in the Afghanistan War of 1919. Fifteen Nepalese battalions were involved in the Second World War led by the late Commander-in-Chief Kiran Shumshere Rana and ex-Commander-in-Chief and Field Marshall Nir Shumshere Rana.
When Japan got involved in this war in December 1940, four Nepalese battalions fighting under Allied Command were deployed against them. The Nepalese troops fought with great ferocity, particularly on the Burma front, and helped force the eventual Japanese retreat from the Indian subcontinent. After the British left India in 1947 religious violence between Hindu and Muslim communities erupted in many places and Indian Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru requested Nepal’s assistance to quell the situation. Twenty battalions led by Maj Gen Sharada SJB Rana were deployed in many parts of India where they contributed greatly in stabilizing the situation.
Singapore, Brunei, Malaya, Bahrain
On April 9, 1949, selected ex-British Army Gurkhas were recruited by the Singapore government to form the Gurkha Contingent (GC) of the Singapore Police Force. In its role as a specialist guard force, the Gurkha Contingent is deployed as a reaction force during times of crisis and its members are esteemed for their ‘display of courage, self-restraint and professionalism’. In the Sultanate of Brunei, the 2,000 strong Gurkha Reserve Unit makes for a special guard force of the small sultanate. Made up of British Army veterans, the unit functions basically as a praetorian guard to protect the sultan, the royal family as well as oil installations. After the independence of Malaya from the United Kingdom in August 1957, many Gurkhas joined the Malayan armed forces, particularly in the Royal Ranger Regiment. And in Bahrain, the United States navy employs Gurkha guards as sentries at its base there. The United States also employs Gurkhas sometimes to provide security for some U.S. Consulates and ships in foreign ports.
Action Stations
The Gurkhas have seen action in the humid jungles of Burma, Borneo and Malaya, the arid deserts of North Africa, the rocky mountains of Afghanistan, Baluchistan and the New Frontier, in and around the deep waters of the Mediterranean and the Pacific, the battle fields of France, Italy and Greece. The Gurkhas have delivered what has been asked of them in Palestine, in Jerusalem, in Hong Kong, in Singapore, in Persia, in Iraq, in India, in Tunis and in the Falklands. As an integral part of the United Nations Peace Keeping Force (UNPKF) Gurkhas have been deployed in some of the deadliest of the newer battlegrounds where civil, ethnic, political, religious and other strife has torn countries asunder and taken countless lives. In fact, of the about 90,000 soldiers in the Nepalese Army, almost half have UNPKF experience and have been part of peacekeeping forces in places like Congo, Liberia, Haiti, Burundi and Sudan besides other equally dangerous places savaged by horrific conflict.
In recent times, Gurkhas have also been in the limelight in Iraq and Afghanistan. According to Afghan sources, “Previously, Nepalis in Afghanistan worked only with the American private security companies. Now, in Shindand Airport (in western Afghanistan) they are under the direct command of US ‘Special Forces’. In Kandahar, they ‘work’ with Canadian forces, at the Provincial Reconstruction Team headquarters, in Ghazni they are associated with Polish forces, in Kabul and other regions they are linked with American private security companies.” During Prince Harry’s 77 day stay in Afghanistan, he was attached to the 1st Royal Gurkha Rifles battle group as a Forward Air Controller. One also recalls seeing on screen, the familiar sight of Gurkhas patrolling war torn streets during the Iraq war. However, much before then, it was the Falklands war in 1985 that really brought to mind Gurkha legends of yore, and created a new one as well in the process. At the end of it, here is what Brigadier David Morgan had to say about the whole affair, “It must never be forgotten that the much feared fighters from Nepal played a critical and decisive part in the final downfall of the Argentineans. It was the Gurkha’s reputation that helped win the war in the Falklands.” He also states, “Their reputation has always run before them – but the Gurkhas have always delivered. They have always shown that they have the mettle, the skills and all the courage to fight to the last.” Could one fault then, the Argentineans, for surrendering without a fight at the mere knowledge that the fearsome Gurkhas were coming? One of them later tried to justify the surrender by saying, “We didn’t want our heads to be chopped off.”
The Khukuri
And when there is talk of chopping heads and so forth can mention of the khukri be far behind? This weapon of choice of the Gurkhas has earned its own place in the annals of warfare and yes, has indeed done a lot of chopping. Unfortunately, not only wood. There is a story in which Gurkha soldiers were ordered to bring back severed heads of the enemy during the 1st World War. One stocky chap came back from the jungle and threw a dozen or so ears to the ground in front of the officer. “The heads were too heavy to carry,” was his short but succinct explanation. Similarly, there is another story in which a Gurkha with a khukri in his hand comes face to face with Japanese carrying a samurai sword. The Japanese manages to wound the Gurkha and even slices off his arm whereupon the Gurkha tells his foe, “You may have wounded me, but let’s see you nod your head.”
Well, this could indeed sound a bit far fetched but such are the legends built around Gurkhas and their khukris. Functioning as a cross between a knife and an axe, the khukri is designed for chopping and stabbing purposes in war, but can be used in daily tasks like cutting meat and vegetables or trees and so forth. The blade is deflected at an angle of 20° or more and although the size varies, the blade usually measures about 3 to 10 cm wide and 30 to 38 cm long. Its thick spine and sharp cutting edge greatly increasing chopping effectiveness. Khukuris are so balanced as to rest in a vertical position if supported on a fulcrum. The handles are often made from hardwood or water buffalo horn but, whatever the handles may be made of, the khukri has terrified all enemies since ages past. Not the least being the British when they first came face to face with the Gurkhas in 1814.
The Future
In the subsequent tide of a turbulent world history that included two great wars, and many lesser ones, the Gurkhas became legends in the annals of warfare. These were the times when an analogy was often made between the Switzerland of the middles ages and Nepal. In the middle ages the Swiss were poor but made fine soldiers and so, were in great demand as mercenaries throughout Europe. Similar has been, and unfortunately (?), continues to be so, with the Nepalese. It would be a good idea for people to consider this reason for the analogy before touting Nepal as the Switzerland of the East. The Afghan Maoists are objecting to the deployment of Gurkha soldiers from Nepal in the UN contingents deployed in Afghanistan as well as the British Army.
The world, and specially Britain (once, the greatest empire on earth), have reason enough to be grateful to the Gurkhas for their sacrifices in ensuring a freer world. However, who can stop the relentless changes that come with time? The handover of Hong Kong to China resulted in a drastic reduction in the number of Gurkhas in the British forces. While this was a mere required policy change for those in Whitehall, London, for the many Englishmen who had served so proudly with the Gurkha regiments, it was a most trying time to say the least. Especially when the reductions the politicians were asking for was a massive 70%. It was a distressing turn of events to be sure, because while initially, economic reasons preceded everything else in the desire to be a British Gurkha, in later times, becoming one had become more of a proud tradition among many families of the Nepal hills.
That the Gurkhas have had their day as an integral part of Britain’s army would be a statement that could be a bit premature. Nevertheless, today, only a handful is recruited every year at the one solitary recruiting camp in Pokhara (the Dharan camp was closed a long while ago, it not being found justifiable taking into account the low numbers to be recruited) and the numbers continue to dwindle every year. In the meantime, in the light of such a disappointing future scenario, a protracted but quite successful court battle for equal pension as their British counterparts has been cause for some succor. At the same time, with the recent policy changes giving permission to many ex British Gurkhas to live and work in Britain, there is a certain amount of concern at the loss of the useful remittance hitherto received in Nepal. Without doubt, Nepal has benefited significantly from the remittances from its soldiers abroad and in the case of the British Gurkhas, especially, there have been many positive changes in the villages of Nepal, they bringing in new found knowledge and awareness besides of course, investment. The rapid development of cities like Dharan and Pokhara particularly, owe much to the Gurkhas serving on foreign shores.
There is reason now to believe that a similar situation could arise regarding recruitment into the India army, an important employment avenue for many now, and in the past. The irony is that, the skills, the bravery and the prowess of the Gurkhas can only be demonstrated in times of war and, naturally, the value and the worth of Gurkhas rise a thousand fold during such times. However, as Hon. Captain (Retd) Kunwar says, “There have been no major wars since 1971.” Seeing that he served in the 4/9th Gurkha Rifles in India, he must of course be referring to the three Indo-Pak wars of 1947, 1965 and 1971 as well as the Indo-China War of 1962, wars in which Gurkhas won two Param Vir Chakras (India’s highest war honor) besides many other gallantry awards.
As far as things like rank and career progressions are concerned, according to Captain Kunwar, “I believe that up to now, the highest ranking Indian Gurkha has been Brigadier Giri Prasad Pun. However, there are many senior Gurkhali officers nowadays in the Indian army.” It is also interesting to know that in December 1995, Lieutenant-Colonel Bijay Kumar Rawat became the commanding officer of the 1st Battalion, the first Nepalese to become a battalion commander in the Royal Gurkha Rifles. He oversaw the departure of the battalion from Hong Kong just before its transfer to Chinese control in 1996.
Nonetheless, taking cues from all that’s happening around the world, including the ways of modern warfare, it would be justifiable to believe that perhaps one might not come across many newer legends of the fearless Gurkhas in the days to come. Perhaps, one will have to now take recourse to the stories as recounted in the hundreds of laudatory books. Perhaps one will have to remain content knowing that the Gurkhas will forever be regarded as the ‘Bravest of the Brave’ and be proud of the fact that their motto ‘Better to Die than be a Coward’ has been proven a ringing truth countless times in the killing fields of many wars. And finally, the following high praise by one who served with the brave Gurkhas during World War One, really says it all:
“As I write these last words, my thoughts return to you who were my comrades, the stubborn and indomitable peasants of Nepal. Once more I hear the laughter with which you greeted every hardship. Once more I see you in your bivouacs or about your fires, on forced march or in the trenches, now shivering with wet and cold, now scorched by a pitiless and burning sun. Uncomplaining you endure hunger and thirst and wounds; and at the last your unwavering lines disappear into the smoke and wrath of battle. Bravest of the brave, most generous of the generous, never had country more faithful friends than you
Professor Sir Ralph Turner, MC
3rd Queen Alexandra's Own Gurkha Rifles
Sources: The Gurkhas (W.Brook Northey and C.J.Morris)
The Gurkhas, The Inside Story of the World’s Most Feared Soldiers (John Parker)
The Royal Nepal Army: Meeting the Maoist Challenge (Ashok K Mehta)
the dark mermaid
Captivating and even heart breaking at times … a swift page turner and an extremely fun read … continuously entertains and moves the reader – Eliz Manandhar, ECS living
the dark mermaid
Kalawati: Kali with kala
ABHA ELI PHOBOO
Kalawati Nepali is not your average twelve-year-old girl. She is spunky, determined, and knows what she wants: to swim her way to gold medals, friendship and fame. Almost a young, dark, female Michael Phelps in the making, Amar Shrestha’s book is named after her character, “The Dark Mermaid.”
The book starts off with a bang, opening at a swimming competition in Birgunj City School Swimming Championships. Kali, as Kalawati is called for short, is set against a white, blue-eyed girl from Lincoln School. This scene works on many levels because we get to know Kali as a focused girl who loves swimming, is good at it, and likes to win. The comparison against the white girl emphasizes how dark Kali is (reemphasizing what we already know from her name, Kali means black). We are also introduced to her father, who is as much of a protagonist as Kali, and to the phrase “frothing white wake” which always triggers our anticipation for her victory as the story progresses.
Shrestha has built a plot that is inspirational, and judging by the character portrayals, language and style used, this book is aimed at teenagers and young adults. Kali’s character is charming and inspirational as she battles asthma to pursue what she likes to do best, which is swimming. She is uprooted from Birgunj and sent to Darjeeling where she must adapt, make friends, and build her determination to remain a swimming champion. One cannot help but admire her willpower when she starts reading and educating herself on how to deal with her asthma attacks, find other sportspeople who have asthmas, and practice exercises that equip her body to fight the affliction. Kali strikes a deep chord when she prays for “good health,” and unlike other girls, is not bothered about her image but more about the wellness of her being.
In terms of language, the book tends to move arrhythmically. It might have worked better for the prose if dialogues were not interspersed profusely, and to have explored potential subtextual implications that could be built into the story. The conflict that is hinted at bears fruition, such as Kali’s first asthma episode. However, such conflict situations are dealt with objectively and at a distance so the reader never really gets to fully realize the turmoil that the characters go through. Most of the story is written at a very literal level, and we are often told instead of being shown certain things, such as Kali’s trip to Darjeeling. Half the story passes away almost like a tourist guidebook for Darjeeling, and after Kali is enrolled in school, we are meticulously told the exact time of the routine she is to follow. It would have been more effective for the story if we were taken through her day, her thoughts, her impressions, and her confusion at having to adapt to a new place without family. As enticing as Kali’s character is, often her father’s thoughts and emotions overshadow things.
“The Dark Mermaid” starts off from a close third point of view of Kali’s father, Nigam Nepali. Her mother, Mina, is usually in the background. As the story progresses, the point of view becomes inconsistent and swings from Kali’s father to Kali and back. This also contributes to arrhythmic flow of language. Toward the later half of the book, we see things from Kali’s point of view, and this is a more gripping part as we finally get to learn more about her character and the kind of person she grows into. The book ends with The Dark Mermaid winning yet another competition and readying to head to another. It ends with a hook that hints that a sequel might be in the making.
We are waiting!
Published on 2009-09-25 13:57:54 in Republica The Week
ABHA ELI PHOBOO
Kalawati Nepali is not your average twelve-year-old girl. She is spunky, determined, and knows what she wants: to swim her way to gold medals, friendship and fame. Almost a young, dark, female Michael Phelps in the making, Amar Shrestha’s book is named after her character, “The Dark Mermaid.”
The book starts off with a bang, opening at a swimming competition in Birgunj City School Swimming Championships. Kali, as Kalawati is called for short, is set against a white, blue-eyed girl from Lincoln School. This scene works on many levels because we get to know Kali as a focused girl who loves swimming, is good at it, and likes to win. The comparison against the white girl emphasizes how dark Kali is (reemphasizing what we already know from her name, Kali means black). We are also introduced to her father, who is as much of a protagonist as Kali, and to the phrase “frothing white wake” which always triggers our anticipation for her victory as the story progresses.
Shrestha has built a plot that is inspirational, and judging by the character portrayals, language and style used, this book is aimed at teenagers and young adults. Kali’s character is charming and inspirational as she battles asthma to pursue what she likes to do best, which is swimming. She is uprooted from Birgunj and sent to Darjeeling where she must adapt, make friends, and build her determination to remain a swimming champion. One cannot help but admire her willpower when she starts reading and educating herself on how to deal with her asthma attacks, find other sportspeople who have asthmas, and practice exercises that equip her body to fight the affliction. Kali strikes a deep chord when she prays for “good health,” and unlike other girls, is not bothered about her image but more about the wellness of her being.
In terms of language, the book tends to move arrhythmically. It might have worked better for the prose if dialogues were not interspersed profusely, and to have explored potential subtextual implications that could be built into the story. The conflict that is hinted at bears fruition, such as Kali’s first asthma episode. However, such conflict situations are dealt with objectively and at a distance so the reader never really gets to fully realize the turmoil that the characters go through. Most of the story is written at a very literal level, and we are often told instead of being shown certain things, such as Kali’s trip to Darjeeling. Half the story passes away almost like a tourist guidebook for Darjeeling, and after Kali is enrolled in school, we are meticulously told the exact time of the routine she is to follow. It would have been more effective for the story if we were taken through her day, her thoughts, her impressions, and her confusion at having to adapt to a new place without family. As enticing as Kali’s character is, often her father’s thoughts and emotions overshadow things.
“The Dark Mermaid” starts off from a close third point of view of Kali’s father, Nigam Nepali. Her mother, Mina, is usually in the background. As the story progresses, the point of view becomes inconsistent and swings from Kali’s father to Kali and back. This also contributes to arrhythmic flow of language. Toward the later half of the book, we see things from Kali’s point of view, and this is a more gripping part as we finally get to learn more about her character and the kind of person she grows into. The book ends with The Dark Mermaid winning yet another competition and readying to head to another. It ends with a hook that hints that a sequel might be in the making.
We are waiting!
Published on 2009-09-25 13:57:54 in Republica The Week
The Dark Mermaid
I hope you will read this book. It has got excellent reviews
and is now available in Library of Congress, Washington, and in the
libraries of Yale University, Duke University, Cornell University, Chicago University and UNC in the USA, and in the National Public Library of Singapore.
Title: The Dark Mermaid
Author: Amar Shrestha
ISBN: 9788177697490 / LC Control No.: 2009346003
Publisher: PILGRIMS BOOK HOUSE, B 27/98 A-8, Nawabganj Road, Durga Kund,
Varanasi 221010, India, Ph: 2314060
Pilgrims US, 1083 Vine Street #320, Healdsburg, California 95448, USA,
ramatiwari@yahoo.com, Attn: Rama Tiwari
PILGRIMS BOOK HOUSE, Thamel & Pulchowk, Kathmandu, Nepal, Ph: 4700942
Kathmandu: Pilgrims (Thamel, Pulchowk, Pokhara), Vajra Thamel, Saraswati Pulchowk, Quixote’s Cove Jawalakhel, Patan Dhokaima, Mandala and Educational (Kantipath), Ekta Thapathali, Ratna Bagbazar
Available online at:
http://www.pilgrimsonlineshop.com/xisbnbooks.php?isbn=9788177697490
http://www.alibris.com/search/books/isbn/9788177697490
http://www.rachnabooks.com/index.php?option=com_bookstore&task=search
http://www.dkagencies.com/doc/from/1063/to/1123/bkId/DK64452332120884932432511371/details.html
http://www.gobookshopping.com/book_detail.php?p=sndid&q=sch&cat_id=92&pid=58323
http://www.a1books.co.in/searchresult.do?searchType=books&keyword=the+dark+mermaid
My Websites:
http://www.americanchronicle.com/authors/view/3398
http://gorkhapedia.wikidot.com/amar-bahadur-shrestha
http://np.linkedin.com/pub/amar-b-shrestha/15/9a7/a81
http://www.helium.com/users/edit_show/359104
http://www.redbubble.com/people/amar
http://www.writers.net/writers/64022
The Dark Mermaid at:
http://lccn.loc.gov/2009346003
http://search.lib.unc.edu/search?R=UNCb6119099
http://orbexpress.library.yale.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?DB=local&SL=none&BBID=9147707
http://cornell.worldcat.org/title/dark-mermaid/oclc/421540081&referer=brief_results
http://lens.lib.uchicago.edu/?q=the+dark+mermaid&x=0&y=0
http://catalogue.nlb.gov.sg/cgi-bin/cw_cgi?fullRecord+29944+3002+13352981+1+5
http://find.library.duke.edu/results.php?type=books&recordid=DUKE004317254&format=search
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