A Gorkha’s lonely point of view

The equestrian figure of the legendary Durga Malla stands proudly in the precincts of the Indian Parliament, the heart of India’s democracy. As the venerable Mahindra P. Lama suggests, Durga Malla should be crafted into the brand ambassador of the Gorkhas living in India. Dr. Lama’s suggestion is absolutely right and should be worked on without any doubts.

But then Dr. Lama has never suggested that we pass into oblivion those Gorkhas who served in the Indian army prior to 1947. The Gorkhas who served in the British Indian army should not be remembered by us merely as those twenty five oath bound Gorkhas who under General Dyer shot at an unarmed crowd in April 1919 at Jalianwala Bagh. Perspectives should change with the passage of time and the discovery of recent accounts of the same history.

The contribution of the Gorkhas should not be confined merely to whether they took part in the freedom struggle or not or how much did they contribute but also thereafter in the nation building process. And we as Gorkhas ourselves should never blindly accuse our predecessors that they blindly supported the Britishers and never did support the Indian freedom struggle. One should read unbiased history before one should accuse oneself. With the pen in the scabbard, the unbiased history of the Gorkhas has just started it stands, a silhouetted equestrian figure wearing a Gurkha heart against a crimson horzon with the sun slowly pulling up behind its back.

Those who served in the pre Independent army were not only Gurkhas, there were other Indians too. India’s first Field Marshal, and till now the finest, SAM Manekshaw, MC of the 8th Gorkha Rifles fought against the Japanese and not in the Azad Hind Fauj. Outstanding middle-level and junior leaders such as Brigadier KS Thimayya DSO, Major Srikant Korla DSO, MC, Major NC Rawlley MC and Major Rajwade, and others too were not in the Azad Hind Fauj. After Independence these men filled into the higher commands left vacant by the departure of the Britishers. These men guided the modern Independent army ably so much so that the Indian army is considered at present one of the best and fit fighting forces of the world.

These men like the Gorkhas of the pre independent Indian army fought not for the British Flag but as put by the Indian army in its website (www.indianarmy.nic.in) ‘The Indian Army Sepoy (from the Hindustani word sipahi) and now Jawan (young man) or Sawar (rider) and his leaders formed a cohesive collective. They lived to serve the Unit, they were willing to die for it. Nothing must happen which would tarnish its honour, its izzat… Unflinching loyalty was to a concept and not to a transient personality or cause. Always and everywhere, the Unit came first.’

Thus a Rajput served the Rajput unit and not the British Flag; a Gorkha served the Gorkha unit and not the Britsh Flag.

Otherwise why would Sonia Gandhi, the chair person of Congress lay a wreath at the Indian Memorial at Menin Gate (Ypres, Belgium)  saying it felt a shame to be alive when men so brave are dead.

Some of the names of the Gorkha soldiers who died fighting at Ypres (popularly known as the Western Front)

Again going back to the gaudy days of 1947, Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India, reiterated that the Gorkhas should not be transferred to the British army. The reason given by him was that they would be used for ‘imperial’ purposes. But behind this pious argument there was a basic compulsion to retain them-60 percent of the Indian army then consisted of the Muslim!(Glendevon 1971:174). Besides, the Congress Party was unable to take the Sikh army in full confidence due to the ensuing demands of theirs for autonomy (Mansbergh and Moon 1980:962-964) (Sic: Ethnicity, State and Development, A Case Study of Gorkhaland Movement in Darjeeling)

And let the cynical of present day Gorkhas, swayed by readings of biased history, who slight themselves on the pretext of Nationalism read what Sardar Baldev Singh, the first  Defence Minister of India had to say

“… Following the partition of the country the Gorkha units have played an important role in giving protection to thousands of Muslims and non-Muslims moving across the border. They behaved with impartiality and courage and rescued thousands of people in Pakistan…Today Gorkhas in J&K are fighting with traditional martial spirit, I am proud of their achievements.’

This is what West Bengal must learn before it raises another lathi on the ex Gorkha servicemen.

By: Philip Rai

Kurseong