Endurance of pain and extreme stress levels, and tenacity in the face of overwhelming odds in battle in perilous positions, loyalty, and ferocity in action are perhaps the best known Gurkha characteristics, but also – and this is little mentioned (but known by all who in shoulder-to-shoulder military service alongside Gurkhas – a great humanity and capacity to engage with traumatised civilians in extreme military action settings (such as Kosovo, etc.).
Ceremonial level exceptional deportment by members of the Brigade of Gurkhas has seen Brigade regiments from the Royal Gurkha Rifles (RGR) to the Band of the Brigade of Gurkhas has seen the Gurkhas involved in recent decades in formal, including royalty related deployments as almost iconic figures representing the British Army as a whole. These characteristics combined are beyond the individual soldier and officer, at collective distinct group level the unique preserve of the Nepali, British Gurkhas from earliest times in the 19th century in Indian Sub-Continent (when of course under the European colonial imperialist philosophy non-indigenous ‘white’ British, colonial regime subjected peoples were regarded in law and at socio-economic levels as ‘inferior’) to the 2020’s absolutely unique in the history and lore of the colonial era and post-colonial era British army.
It is of course a particularly important dimension, and indeed privilege of the HLF assisted and pan-UK Nepali community participating and supported, UK Nepal Friendship Society facilitated, UK Nepali Cultural & Social Heritage Project, to fulfil the spirit of the project and one of the most important purposes of the HLF itself, in this the Gurkha section of the project for the first time ever, and so long needed, we address this need. In the initial exploratory and subsequent HLF project support initial research stages in considering the Gurkha dimension of this culture & social heritage recording, preserving, sharing educational project, understandably the very rare and integral to understanding the British – Nepali Gurkha relationship, the topic was repeatedly raised in the appropriate British Army and associated settings on the following:
‘What record is there of non-individual soldier/officer, regiment, battalion, section/other organised mass group, Gurkha (therefore Nepali/non-indigenous colonial and post-colonial [and United Nations and UN Peacekeeping] era) contribution to in the military and warfare spheres, protection, overseas influence and global prestige of Britain/the UK, and concomitantly the British name?
The answer in every direction sought from junior to very senior serving army officers, to museum curators and museums and educational resource and services directions, was NONE.
We are proud through this project to be contributing to taking the people of the UK, and after them, British institutions and State towards reaching the latter destination: and as indicated above in the record of the response to such an important – from an inclusive diversity 21st Century Britain perspective – question, that there is still far to travel in quarters of influence in the British state.
This information resource contributed to and involving active participation of many within the UK Gurkha community, does much to advance reaching that multicultural awareness, modern inclusive Britain, goal. On this the experiences and content gathered for this, the Gurkha section of the project information educational resource takes one from Equality Act 2010 ‘equality & diversity’ concepts and legal requirements implementation testing, to actual realities concerning the latter through the medium of one particular ethnic minority sub-population group, as the latter’s experiences of the culture and society in a UK setting have been shared.
The information resource where the Nepali-Gurkha community is concerned therefore addresses, in a ground-breaking much needed way the unintended but subliminal ‘Dealing with difference, maintaining dominance under a supremist ethos: one size fits all, those who are different can’t possibly contribute at highest levels to the defence and prestige of the nation overseas’ block that still in some, key, circles exists.
The Gurkhas are as much a unique historical context phenomenon, as an actual ‘people.’ Even in regard to the latter there is a major commonplace error [as presented to-date] by those outside of the British Army that the Gurkhas are comprised of a specific race/ethnicity. They are Not.
There are multiple Nepali ethnic peoples historically linked to British and Indian armies Gurkha [in India ‘Gorkha’] recruitment, such as especially ‘Gurung’ but ‘Rai’ and even a part of the Nepali Sherpa community where there is an approximately 90% British Army Brigade of Gurkhas recruitment-sought application base. All UK [and Indian Army] Gurkhas are of Nepal origin and Nepali nationality. Gurkhas to be Gurkhas however are NOT simply British Army soldiers/officers who are Nepali.
To be a Gurkha involves passing endurance and martial skills of almost superhuman endurance testing training kinds, to secure successful entry into the Gurkha components of both the British Army and the Indian Army, and then joining one of those components (here we only cover the British Army dimension of recruitment and enlistment: prior to 1947 there were 10 Gurkha regiments within the British Army, prior to the creation of the state of India, that received and still has to this day six regiments, and the British Army four (but not kept to the same full capacity).
Recommended viewing: The Life-Changing Journey Of Being Selected As A Gurkha | Forces TV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8pIJglsYUE