AYO GORKHALI (The Gorkhas are upon you), is quite a menacing war cry on the battlefield. The Gorkhas have impressed one and all with their courage and fighting spirit. Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw paid them the ultimate compliment: “If a man says he is not afraid of dying, he is either lying or he is a Gorkha.”
The Gorkha regiments are among the most decorated in the Indian Army and have served with unquestionable distinction. There is not a single battle or insurgency theatre in independent India where the Gorkha has not spilled blood—his own, as well as that of his adversary. And the incredible fact is that a substantial number of them are citizens of another country. Nepal is the traditional homeland of the Gorkhas, although they are also present in considerable numbers in India’s northeast and regions close to the Himalayas.
Not too far back in the past, every year there would be a rush of freshfaced Gorkha lads in Nepal, keen on a career in the Indian and British armies and the Singapore Police. But for the last three years, there have been no recruitment drives for the Indian Army, following a directive to that effect from Kathmandu.
Suman Sereng Maden, who runs a coaching centre for aspiring soldiers in Dharan in east Nepal’s Sunsari, told THE WEEK over the phone: “The Nepal government is opposed to sending any more Gorkha soldiers to join the Indian Army. Because of that, the recruitment has completely stopped. There is resentment against the ‘Agnipath’ system of recruitment.”
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة June 18, 2023 من THE WEEK India.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة June 18, 2023 من THE WEEK India.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
There Is A Wind Blowing Against The BJP, And It Will Only Pick Up Speed
Interview - Akhilesh Yadav, Former Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh
Between hospital and home
Transitional care centres can add a lot to India's health care system
EFFORT VS EFFECT
The government's attempts to ensure quality drugs is evident, but how well new policies can be monitored on the ground remains to be seen
A way to let go of fear
Accepting the use of adult diapers is a journey with various stages-denial, concealment, rejection and reluctance
Mandeeps & a miracle
Two strangers, one deadly disease and an act of kindness. How Mandeep Mann saved Mandeep Singh, an acute leukaemia patient, by donating his stem cells
The A, B, C of cosmetic surgery
Between eight to 10 lakh cosmetic surgeries happen in India every year. Who is an ideal candidate, and what are the risks and results you can expect?
Vaccines and meningitis
In sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east, and encompassing the northern part of Nigeria, there exists a region known as the African Meningitis Belt (AMB).
Celebrating diversity and inclusivity
As Indians battle it out in our nation's 18th general election, it is again time for voters to reflect on the \"Idea of India\"-or rather, on two duelling ideas of India that are now before us and between which the nation must choose at the ballot box.
Defendant: an Hermès handbag
When Hermès was hit with a class-action lawsuit last month for \"antitrust\" activities, it didn't see it coming. Most of the luxury world has all eyes on this suit, filed by two interested consumers who claim they were denied a purchase, and whether it would go to trial.
A legacy, bound
Amal Allana's biography of her father, Ebrahim Alkazi, is as much personal as it is historical