Maoist, Gurkha tradition and the Indian Army

Recently in Nepal, a 58-page report submitted by its parliamentary committee on International Relations and Human Rights has started a national debate within the country regarding its foreign policy. If succinctly put, the report critically examines the role of citizens as Gurkhas and fighting under foreign flags since 1815.

A large number of analysts in Nepal believe that the recruitment leaves Nepal with the status of a semi-colonial and semi-feudal State and some have outrageously termed the Gurkha as mercenary. The bottom line of the debate is that in a graduated manner, Nepal is going to do away with the Gurkha tradition, time frame has not been clearly spelt out.

There are three critical questions. First, how does this impact the Indian Army? The next is how does this impact the Gorkha community in India, and lastly how does it impact Nepal. Before we do so, we need to understand that the Gurkha tradition of Nepal is central to its identity also starting with the unification of Nepal by Prthvinarayan Shah in the 18th century.

Currently its identity is firmly rooted in India wherein India has seven Gorkha regiments and its citizens want a State “Gorkhaland”. In Nepal, at best it is a tradition also imbibed in its culture, at best a sub-identity and a means of livelyhood for its citizen. In India, it takes a different hue as an identity, the generic term consists of  various castes such as, Thakuri, Chhetris, Tamang, Magar, Gurung, and Rai Limbus to name a few, identified as Gorkhas (u replaced with o), thus the regiments in India have been serially numbered from 1 to 11 caste wise

India is a country with adequate resources of youthful manpower that prefer Government jobs. There is no shortage of overall manpower in India, willing to join the proud institution -- the Indian Army. Having said that two facts need to be examined, the first is the system of recruitment and the next is the issue of Regimentation and traditions of the Indian Army.

Youth in India are recruited based on RMP (recruit able male population), which is fixed and is based on availability of manpower. Secondly, also, the Indian Army will not like to change any of its traditions. Currently, the Indian Army operates at 60:40 levels, i.e. 60 per cent recruits from Nepal and 40 per cent from India. Some regiments are also at 70:30 ratios. 

The Indian Army with a single stroke of pen can increase these ratios in a gradual manner to more Indian Gorkhas then their Nepalese counterparts, thus in a graduated manner overcome this slight glitch. There is another school of thought that says the Gorkha youth of Indian domicile is not as good a material as their counterparts from Nepal. There are two counter arguments here.

The first is a study done a long time ago around on or before the First World War which showed that local boys (line chokras), had as much as a share in wining gallantry awards as their other Nepali counterparts.  The second is that they are citizens of India and no such comments or comparisons are made with other peers here in India.

If this argument is allowed to fester then it will cast another nail in the alienation of the Gorkhas of India. The Army will however, have to have a strict and also friendly system of recruitment and identification of Gorkhas, as that is where the crux of the problem lies. The Army needs to seriously consider forming boys’ battalions in its various centres to improve the quality of intake.

Its impact on the Gorkhas regarding citizenship will remain at status quo. Indian citizen of Nepalese origin or the Gorkha community at all levels has imbibed India by birth, by rights, and above all by conviction. It, however, hits at the very root of the Gurkha tradition which is their identity, thus the community will have to quickly find its moorings as what was taken for granted is affected.

The Gorkha culture is an ‘absolute mixture’ of several cultures i.e. culture from back home, the military culture and a little from the country’s culture they serve. Those who dwelled in the land imbibed the culture of the land, hence now it is an Indian tradition. The community is intrinsically linked to soldiering, although now the younger generation is branching out into various fields, but has not documented its past, thus finding its correct identity remains critical.

Currently, the community lacks political identity best personified by grant of statehood. On the other hand, if they meet the stringent standards of recruitment the community may stand to gain as from a total population of 1.25 crore they will have to provide additional manpower for the vacancies created by the recruits not coming from Nepal.

Nepal needs to examine how the remittance affects its economy and weigh it up also regarding employment opportunities for its restive youth who for centuries have moved beyond the hills. India pays 12 billion a year to the ex-servicemen settled there and Britain pays around 134 million dollars a year.

These are huge sums and Nepal needs to tread this path carefully. It seems that in the long run, the Gurkha tradition will slowly die down from Nepal where it all started. Britain which has used Gurkhas all over is facing defence cuts and only India will have the Gorkha tradition. It is thus left to the Indian Army and the Nepali speaking Indian citizens who need to keep this tradition alive.

It is all the more imperative that Gorkhas in India get political identity and unite into the political process or else this identity will slowly vanish best personified by formation of a State needs speedy implementation

• Bishwaraj 101 days ago
  0 Likes
  Blind people have no visions... !!
  
  Reply

Add Comment