>From http://howrah.org/india_news/10624.html Gorkha troops' fate worries Army By SRIDHAR KUMARASWAMI New Delhi, April 27: Mention the Gorkhas and images of the dreaded curved blade (khukhri) wielded by fierce little hill-men comes rushing to one's mind. The Maoist threat of stopping further recruitment of Nepalese Gorkhas in the Indian Army may soon bring down the curtains on nearly two centuries of glorious military tradition and history and one of the finest tribe of soldiers ever to serve in the Indian Army. The ministry of defence (MoD) and Indian Army have so far maintained a silence on the issue. But Army officers that this newspaper spoke to, said that any future ban on recruitment of Nepalese Gorkhas into the Army would be a tragedy for the force besides depriving some of the finest soldiers in the world and their families from a means of livelihood that they have been accustomed to for nearly 200 years. There are currently an estimated 30,000 Nepalese Gorkha soldiers in the Indian Army. There are seven Gorkha regiments (of the Gorkha Rifles) in the Army, in which there are both Nepalese and Indian Gorkha soldiers serving. Gorkha regiments have won numerous gallantry, including two Param Vir Chakras. The legendary Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, now in his nineties, was himself an officer from the 8 Gorkha Rifles. The first batch of Gorkha soldiers joined the British Indian Army of the East India Company in 1815 ahead of the imminent defeat of Nepal in the Anglo-Nepal War from 1814 to 1816. The Gorkhas, a sturdy hill-tribe from Nepal had established their own kingdom in the country in 1768, which eventually included Nepal, Sikkim, Kumaon, Garhwal, the Terai region and Kangra. But it was British commander, Sir David Ochterlony, who first recognised that the bravery of the Gorkha troops would serve the Indian Army well. The first Gorkha regiment was the Nasiri Regiment commissioned in 1815. From then on, the Gorkhas distinguished themselves in numerous military campaigns that included the crushing of the 1857 rebellion, the Afghan wars and the First and Second World Wars. The Gorkhas were also accorded the status of "martial race" by the British for their bravery, aggression and war-like traits that made them reliable soldiers. In 1947, a tripartite agreement was signed between India, Britain and Nepal in which six of the 10 existing regiments of the Gorkhas in the British Indian Army joined the Indian Army, while the other four joined the British Army. The Indo-Nepal Friendship Treaty of 1950 that cemented the "special relationship" between the two countries, further resolved that "neither government shall tolerate any threat to the security of the other by a foreign aggressor". Over the years however, Nepalese discomfort with the treaty grew, peaking at times such as the merger of Sikkim (once a part of the Nepalese Gorkha empire) into the Indian Union in 1974. A senior Indian Army officer at the Army headquarters told this newspaper on condition of anonymity that the Indian Army was "waiting and watching" the situation as it unfolded in the neighbouring Himalayan country. "There are about 30,000 Nepalese Gorkhas in the Indian Army. Any ban on recruitment of Gorkhas will amount to snatching away their livelihood and way of life that they have been used to for nearly two centuries," the officer said. Another senior Army officer who spoke on condition of anonymity added, "While there is a large shortfall of officers in the Indian Army, there is no shortfall of soldiers. So, there is no danger as such. Also, Indian Gorkhas will always join the Army. But definitely, the Indian Army will not be the same if Nepalese Gorkhas are not allowed to sign up. It is a question of losing one of the finest military traditions of our Army." ======== ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India