Friday, August 21, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
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There is a quiet story and there is history. The quiet story is the Nepalis living inconspicuously in the Himalayan foothills and history are the events of Nepalis appearing conspicuously.
What is the Gorkha history for us? I would say from the time we were seen as a compelling assemblage on this present land of India with the battle cries of “Ayo Gorkhali”. A group of diehard braves so proficient in the martial dexterity of a curved knife called the khukri and dead shot skilful archers. Also an army so proficient with natural materials like bamboo, that they could erect skilful stockades with bamboo and stone within lightning speed. Not to speak of their physical stamina, tremendous agility on foot and an attitude of cheerful dogged bravery. That was in the 1700s.
Before that Nepali-speaking people were already here following their livelihood of farming. As geographically continuous regions, there has and had been overlapping of Nepali origin people in today’s Indian Territory from centuries before that and vice versa. There had been many marriages too within the Himalayan belt indicating a common social culture. There are Nepali-speaking population since earlier centuries in India, east and west of Nepal. The Maryaun and Gupta kingdoms also were interlaced in the Terai region so was the famous kingdom of Awadh, which ended in 1857. I have heard that the Angami tribes of Northeast are originated from the Magar Gorkha tribes. This I have yet to research.
My quest for Gorkha history began as an interest and developed into soul-mate. I entered into a maze of cross-referring, site visits, and discovering mind-boggling contra-indications. A study of history led to many shocks first and then find answers too many questions about us that I felt was hidden. Gaping holes in tales contradicted through research, led me to believe that a great injustice had been done to many a truth. History is interlinked and the studies led to also the Mughal, Sikh, world, French, British, Afghanistan history, Russian histories-all that took place at that time, because all events are interlinked. In the quagmire, I also got diverted into The Great Game, the Russian-British quest for gaining power in Afghanistan, one of the main reasons why taking the Gorkha territory of the Northwest India, was integral to the British plans. Explorer Francis Younghusband’s trip to Tibet would have been impossible without the help of a band of soldiers of the 8th Gorkha Regiment. Without them he would have fallen into a ravine and perished without making his history.
Restoring forgotten history is like restoring an oil painting, which had not only gathered so much of dust but also been repainted so many times to create different pictures. Many layers of dust and paint have to be painstakingly peeled off one by one to come to the original picture. Reading history is no use, unless you already have questions in your mind. The answers then assemble out themselves. Finding the missing links, turning over many an old stone to find the story, walking (actually literally climbing) in their footsteps became a growing passion.
There are many Gorkha books written by British writers and by Nepalese historians but none by a Gorkha. And even some Gorkhas had written manuscripts it appeared that either they were out of reach locked up somewhere. Others hidden in ancient Gorkha temples had been were hunted and erased out by history hawks. The Gorkha history appears to have been manipulated from the 19th century onwards to suit the political climates.
The ones who create history do not have the time to write it. Then they are gone. What was missing was the soldier’s story. But even after so any years, their stories do exist to be rediscovered. The Gorkhas did not become ‘Bravest of the Brave’ because they worked at it. They became because they were. The sterling qualities required came to them naturally. They were round pegs in round holes. They were hailed as the martial race by the British along with the Sikhs. A title that Kathmandu unfortunately appears to have reserved for only the Kshatriya born from Rajasthan. It was in the Gorkha regiments that the martial races of Nepal were able to continue and preserve their prowess. I can see that it still bothers Kathmandu. The fact that others recognised and benefited from the braves, that they called porters and aborigines in Nepal.
Sikkim: In 1788, the ‘Ayo Gorkhalis’ consolidated their position, within the boundaries of earlier Sikkim. That was before their entry in the west. They established their post at Nagri and controlled till the Chongtong tea estate in Darjeeling. The venture finally ended with signing of the Treaty of Titlya in 1817. These were the military expeditions. From times much ahead, intermingling of the people of the east through marriages, culture, traditions, etc was prevalent from much earlier times.
Northwest: In the North West campaigns, the first honourable historical fact we ought to know is that we were invited to the regions of Uttarkhand and Himachal today, for protection, by the warring petty hill Rajas. We did not come as marauders or invaders. The fact emerged when I wondered why the Gorkhas came to this region when there was not much to gain economically. The Gorkhas were marching to capture Jammu and Kashmir, when this diversion happened which was off the roadmap. Idecuded to call this the Gorkha protectorate era not Gorkha rule.
The 18th and 19th century saw major churns of power securing in the Himalayan region for economic and trade reasons. A new country needs more money and Nepal needed it. The Gorkhas coming out of their region encountered for the first time the lions of that period; the Sikhs, the British and countless great kings. Their battle cries of ‘Ayo Gorkhali!’ brought them to new forces who in turn had never seen any force like the Gorkhas before. They were fierce less with khukris, yet very principled within the confines of their Devi-worshipping Hinduism.
Kumaon-Garhwal: The ‘Ayo Gorkhalis’ consolidated their positions in the Kumaon region from 1790, and Garhwal from 1791. Westward, they were invited by the Raja of Sirmour to protect them from the oppressions of Raja Sansar Chand 11 of Kangra. It was already an era of regional mergers and acquisitions. The hill states which came under the Gorkhas, consequently, were Hindoor and all the states till the river Sutlej. Not only the famous Nalagarh palace hotel near Chandigarh was Gorkha, but even the Ramgarh fort hotel in Panchkula in Chandigarh was under the Gorkhas, much to the chagrin of the raja when I asked him so. I also found out that all the hill rulers also were not of Himachal origin. They also had come into the area from Rajasthan and Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, as a part of the same exodus to Nepal, away from the rising rule of Central Asian forces such as Sher Shah Suri, Lodhis and the Mughal dynasties in India. So we were not the only ‘outsiders’.
Kangra: Dharamshala/Bhagsu lies in this district. In 1806, started the great battle with the mighty Raja Sansar Chand 11 Katoch. The Gorkhas and the Katoches first clashed at Mahal Morian in 1806 (Mahal Morian, by the banks of the Beas River, is on the outskirts of Kangra district, and onset of Hamirpur district). From here the Katoch king was chased to Tira, then Nadaun and finally cornered in the Fort Kangra, where the battle of power continued till 1809.
Eventually the Gorkhas lost, supposedly. I have strong evidential points to debate which totally contradicts this write-off. It is written that they were weakened by epidemics of malaria and cholera. At that time Malaria was an undetected disease. I find it difficult to believe that the Gorkhas who were well-versed in surviving in the wilderness could have been affected by malaria and cholera which only they seem to have suffered from. The symptoms the Gorkha army suffered, to me appear strongly as systemic poisoning of their water resources, by organic poisons very prevalent in the area and used largely for fortifying the long life of the famous Kangra School of Miniature Paintings, for which the Raja and the region was famous for.
The 1804 to 1809 famous Gorkha siege of Kangra Fort between the Gorkha forces was fought between Gorkha Commander Amar Singh Thapa and Raja Sansar Chand 11, the Katoch king. As mentioned earlier, the Gorkhas had been invited by the federation of hill Rajas to protect them from the oppressions of Sansar Chand, who to give the unfortunate king, his due had an ambition of unifying all the hundreds of hill Rajas under one rule. This Siege of Kangra Fort is one of the highlights of Himachal and Nepal history. But it is said to have ended as failure of the Gorkhas and victory for a third party who suddenl;y appeared at the fag end-shrewd Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab, who subsequently made a vassal of poor Sansar Chand. That is what history says. But I have found evidences to debate that the Gorkhas were inside the fort and had reached till the level which remains. The upper storey of the fort where Sansar Chand had hidden, crumbled down in the 1905 earthquake. Why is this important victory of the Gorkhas hidden in history? I have found no Nepal text also acknowledging it. What happened? Why were the Gorkhas not given their due? That is another mystery that I am trying to dig out.
The highlight of the end of the Siege of Kangra Fort was the beginning of the Gorkha-Sikh friendship. Maharaja Ranjit Singh had this great empire of Punjab with the headquarters at Lahore, which he had also seized earlier. Northern India was under the spell of this great warrior king. Though one eyed, the Maharaja was a connoisseur of everything fine, and his sharp eye recognized the qualities of the Gorkhas. He had great cavalry but his infantry was weak. Thereupon started the first recruitment of Gorkhas in a non-Gorkha army as that of an honourable and respectable friendship. The need of the hour was more to consolidate strengths against other strong foes, the British then being seen as the rising one. (The strong powers who could oppose the rise of the empire were the Sikhs, Marathas, Gorkhas and others. Later, the British systemically divided them. History would have been different if the Gorkhas and Sikhs had jointly taken on the Brits. But at this juncture, Ranjit Singh backed out secure in his treaties with the British, which later would also prove to be a folly. The first casualty of the powers that the Brits sought to fell were the Gorkhas). Soldiering was already perhaps the most sought after and only profession in that time for land tillers and others. Under such circumstances, when it was common for hired native and European soldiers to desert a failing side and move to the winning side. Even the British side consisted of all mercenaries. Officers and soldiers from France, America, Ireland, Scotland and other Brit dominated countries. Even our famous adversary Sansar Chand 11, had an ADC by the name of Captain O’Brien, a British army deserter, immortalised holding a fly-whisk standing to his Raja in an oil painting. But everybody realised that the Gorkha were the best and most loyal soldier once he pledged himself.
Lahure Dai: Thus began the culture of the Lahurey Dai. Lahore then being the ‘Paris of the east’, Ranjit Singh’s court set the trends of a lifestyle of good taste and fancy living. Thoroughbred horses, ceremonial military turnouts, beautiful girls, the best of arms and ammunition and high life. Even today in Nepal’s rural sectors coming to India is refereed to as going to ‘Laur’. The Lahure Dai was smart, stylish, knowledgeable and worldly-wise.
Anglo-Gorkha wars: Eventually, the Gorkhas would be the first ones to fight the British on today’s Indian soil, between 1814 and 1816 in the Anglo-Gorkha wars. They were also the first to fight amongst all the Central and Northern Indian states much before 1857 happened. The Anglo-Sikh and Anglo-Mughal wars would happen later. As for the hill states which the Gorkha lost, they would all be swallowed by the British under various schemes including the ‘Doctrine of Lapse’. The Gorkhas never took over any kingdom. They had a system of protectorates. You pay us an annual tribute and we will protect you. Besides that they did not interfere in the king’s life. Others came and took. The Gorkhas were the only ones who gave in the form of magnanimous grants and land to temples. Neither did the Gorkhas forcibly marry the women. That is why there are no lineages of Gorkha Rajas or palaces there. But every royal family had Gorkha marriages much before the Shamsher Ranas and Shahs began their Rajput-seeking marriage circuit. In fact, two of Amar Singh Thapa’s wives were from Himachali families. Maybe that is why the decision to detract from their plans and protect their oppressed kith and kin in the region was decided.
Battle of Malaun, 1815: Some Nepalese historians hold General David Ochterlony as the villain who managed to win the Anglo-Gorkha war at Malaun, by deceit and treachery. I realized that he was doing his duty otherwise would have had his head chopped off by the Governor-General. Ocherlony I found was not a British born General. He was born in New England, Boston. He was in the pay scale of the British East India Company. At peace times, he and Thapa were close friends. He advised Thapa to impress upon Kathmandu not to get into a wrangle with the British Viceroy Hastings who was deliberately provoking Nepal. But Kathmandu did not listen to Tape. The war began with an incident called ‘Hastings’s Bluff” which led to Nepal losing all her Gorkha Protectorate territories.
No wonder the British were always successful, because they always did a thorough geographical, ethnographical, environmental, political study of any area before an attack. Cutting off water and food supplies, coercing supporters to detract, interception by spies were there favourite tactics also considered dishonourable, but otherwise their strategies are worth learning from. They also built roads and managed to take elephants up the hills during the Battle of Malaun. At every point, their engineers and sappers would be active alongside the combat forces.
After the war, Thapa gave in writing in what is called his last order to his troops who consisted of Magars and Gurungs mainly. He wrote that as their commander he granted freedom to join any army they wished to. This was his last gift to his loyal troops. Freedom. Ochterlony and other British officers helped the disbanded troops to assimilate under their name Gorkhas as the 1st Nasiri battalion. This bothered Kathmandu very much. Though the Gorkhas who joined were Thapa’s ablest and loyal men, I once met a Greater Nepal activist who said they ere the riff-raff of the Nepalese army. Oh Yes, with so much of great fighters like the Sikhs, Rajputs, Garhwalis, etc, to choose from, why would the British gather ‘riff-raff’ to make one of their finest regiments.
How come just after the British-Gorkha wars, both became great friends and formed the 1stNasiri battalion (predecessor to the 1st Gorkha Rifles). It was obviously based on friendship because Nasiri means friendship in Arabic. How did the two form the greatest military alliance in history?
Bada Kazi Amar Singh Thapa: Both the Indian and British Gorkha regiments till date maintain their regiments as strictly as per Gorkha customs and traditions. Maybe the founders had made a promise to their earlier Commander Amar Singh Thapa many years ago, but the preservation of the Gorkha soldier could only have been bound by an honour to a man like Bada Kazi Thapa. His famous army which moved like a great tide all over the region from Kali River to the Sutlej River was a Military commander’s army. It was not led by a king. While their country cousins back home became the king’s army, they stood apart over the years with the Gorkha Regiments gaining fame and name from Gallipoli to Kargil. Till today the Gorkha regiments hail their story from Bada Kazi Amar Singh Thapa, the great Gorkha Commander. While the Nepal army hails around the Shah Kings. This is one big cultural difference between them. Thapa was in service of the king. He was not a royal, but for the Gorkha regiments he is their father figure. The Regiments have preserved it intact exactly as the way Thapa would have left his the troops so dear to him in the tragedy of 1815. Whether it is the Indian Gorkhas or the British Gurkhas, everyone speaks Gorkhali. Every regiment has the Baun Bajes. Everyone wears the Gorkhali topi. Everyone party ahs Gorkhali songs played and Gorkhali dances danced. The grandest festival celebrated is Dasain with the traditional animal sacrifices still maintained. Everyone becomes a Gorkha whatever he was born as. The identity remains with them even after retirement. The khukri is the most important symbol. It appears everywhere in every conceivable form. Every Gorkha regiment is a Gorkhaland in every way possible. They have proved to be the most sincere keepers of the Gorkha heritage. I would definitely place the Gorkha regiments as the keepers and preservers of the Gorkha.
1st Gorkha Regiment: After the Anglo-Gorkha wars, the first Gorkha Regiment were raised from the disbanded soldiers. The raising took place at the same region of the Gorkhas, in today’s Malaun and Subathu in HP.
There were many reasons to this, besides the fact, that the British wanted then to consolidate their positions for their future wars. The Gorkhas had already started serving with the Sikhs or Kashmir and other state forces against the British army. As they lost their flags, the British made an offer to continue as a Gorkha Regiment keeping their Gorkha culture and traditions intact.
A good decision because their army thus did not die but has continued as the world famous Gorkha Regiments in India and Britain. Their identity and integrity remained intact. Please refer to the Rajgarh (Malaun) Convention of agreement between Kazi Amar Singh Thapa and David Ochterlony on 15th of May 1815. It is the surrender of the Gorkha Commander of his troops and forts which included Malaun, Arki, Subathu, Mornee, Jeythuck, Rowaheen and all other forts and fortresses now held by the Nepal troops between Jumna and Sutlej Rivers. (This proves that Banesar, Taragarh, etc forts and fortresses which authors are today looking for proofs are Gorkha forts). Once while residing at the Chail Palace Resort, I was pleasantly surprised to read in their brochure that the area was under the Gorkhas.
Dear friends, this and several other questions formed the base of my quest. Why did the clans who are the quintessence of the Gorkha Regiments join so? They were very proud people. Money cannot buy characters who can selflessly sacrifice themselves. It had to be something to do with their ethnic pride and honour. How come these same people were held with contempt by Kathmandu? It had to be jealousy and losing control over them. How come Gorkha families remained in the Indo-Himalayan hills and not shift to Nepal? As one Nepal historian once called the Gorkha habitats as breeding farms. Why such a contemptuous description of respectable and respected Gorkha community habitats?
The beginning of the Gorkha Regts was more the need of the hour for the displaced martial tribes form Nepal to find a place for their survival of their race and dignity. With the Commander Thapa dying mysteriously in Gosainkund, Nepal and his brave sons slaughtered in Kathmandu on return, what place would the soldiers have?
It was very little to do with money (we were never known to be an avaricious race) but more to do with survival from the building of the new socio-cultural genocide of Nepalese tribes and clans. Today forming what is also called the janjaatis.
Today in the Gorkhaland movement, I find the same need of the socially oppressed jaatis to find a platform of dignity and survival. But surely you would respect the Gorkha soldiers more if you understood how they were born in the first place.
Mercenaries?: When the Gorkhas entered Kangra, it was already an era of mercenaries. In fact they were the last to enter into the league, and only on condition that their regiment would be called the Gorkha regiments, not as Scottish Highlanders or anything like that. Soldiering was the best paying profession as the way you would judge options today. There was so much of warfare that armies were always trying to secure the best men. It is a pity that even Prachand, Nepal’s new Prime minister is still in some ways a perpetrator of the same society that he sought to change. By calling Gorkha ‘mercenaries’ he is still a party to the age old prejudice and jealousy that Kathmandu felt towards the Gorkha soldiers that they could not harness in penury and backward circumstances back home. One would have thought for a Janjaati revolutionary he would have understood why the Gorkhas joined the Gorkha Regiment starting from 1815. I do not think he thinks thus, otherwise he would not be trying to strip them of their dignity.
Mr. Prachand you will find it interesting to know that till the early 1900s, the British Gorkha regiments were called the ‘Lal Kurti’ regiments as red was their colour till it was changed to green.
There are those who resent the British Gorkhas for disparity of pay, etc. Yet it is commendable that British ladies like Cherie Blair and recently Joanna Lumley that the Gorkhas are gaining their rights. In the Indian regiments there is no disparity of pays and pensions, etc.
To conclude, while we are in the process of making Gorkhaland a reality, the Indian Gorkhas should not make the same mistake that Nepal made about the attitude towards Gorkha soldiers. Because you are also doing the same thing that they became soldiers for. For the survival of their ethnic identity as the martial races of Nepal, not to be shoved to some nondescript category.
And those who call themselves as Gorkhas and cannot respect the origin and history of our Gorkha regiments are not in a position to make a new healthy Gorkhaland society.
Books:
For those who would like to read about the Gorkha history as I explained is written but is not the entire truth, I recommend the following:
The Rise of the House of the Gorkha by Ludwig F. Stiller
The 1st KGVO Gurkha Rifles by F.L. Petre
The Himalayan Gazetteer-Three Volumes by Atkinson
The Rediscovered History of the Gorkhas by Brig CB Khanduri
The History of the Panjab Hill States by J Hutchison and J Ph Vogel
The Gurkhas by John Parker
Gurkhas at War by Bob Crew
On the internet, The Mahesh Regmi Foundation papers
But as I told you they are narratives, and at times not the first-hand story. The social factors explaining certain events of our history are also not elaborated upon.
As Bob Crew write in the introduction to his book……
‘To recount the colourful and adventurous 186 year history of the Gorkhas is a rare gift for any writer. It is a glittering prize, for theirs is the extraordinary story of a legendary people whose astonishing exploits echo down through ages. Nor is there any shortage of material from which to choose in setting out the history of these amazing and at times mind-boggling soldiers. …….When revisiting the hallowed ground of the Gurkha’s past; one cannot fail to respect what ahs gone before and to strive to do justice to it. But at the same time one is also aware of the need to bring to light where possible and exploring how Gorkhas are perceived in the new millennium.’
He also writes in his first chapter ‘When British and Gurkha soldiers first clapped eyes on one another, they did so as deadly foes, in two long and bloody military campaigns in the Anglo-Nepalese war of 1814-16, and it was love at first sight-and fright’
Today there are Indian Gorkhas and British Gurkhas, but for me they are the same. Yes politically, as Indian Gorkhas we are Indian citizens but the Gorkha is the same from the ethnic and legendary point of view.
Today while the Gorkha are extending out vigorously as the hanging roots of a Banyan tree, in terms of history we are still appear to be lost amongst the various branches. It is high time we know ourselves truthfully and sincerely.
PS: John Parker in The Gurkhas, published in 1999: ‘Statistics are perhaps hardly the way to begin what is a human story, packed with tales of incredible courage and glowing tributes to a particular breed of small, fighting men recruited from the foothills of the Himalayas into the service of a nation that they owed absolutely no allegiance. However two sets of figures strike a particular chord. They bring us straight to the heart of this history of the Gurkhas, who are called mercenaries, but for whom, it will be seen, and money is not the only draw. For one thing, the British have never been generous in their payment. They began by handing out sufficient rewards to entice thousands of wild, young boys down from the hills of Nepal and away from their desperate lives in a closed, isolated and medieval society where until quite recently the average peasant male could not expect to live beyond early adulthood. But gradually the Gurkhas transcended the role of simple mercenary. Sheer kudos took hold, along with the deeply held family tradition of service in the British and Indian armies, which today can be traced back through four or five generations. Along the way, the Gurkhas have amassed a large hoard of some of some of the highest honours of bravery……………….
Wrote by daiba ram Chamling
What is the Gorkha history for us? I would say from the time we were seen as a compelling assemblage on this present land of India with the battle cries of “Ayo Gorkhali”. A group of diehard braves so proficient in the martial dexterity of a curved knife called the khukri and dead shot skilful archers. Also an army so proficient with natural materials like bamboo, that they could erect skilful stockades with bamboo and stone within lightning speed. Not to speak of their physical stamina, tremendous agility on foot and an attitude of cheerful dogged bravery. That was in the 1700s.
Before that Nepali-speaking people were already here following their livelihood of farming. As geographically continuous regions, there has and had been overlapping of Nepali origin people in today’s Indian Territory from centuries before that and vice versa. There had been many marriages too within the Himalayan belt indicating a common social culture. There are Nepali-speaking population since earlier centuries in India, east and west of Nepal. The Maryaun and Gupta kingdoms also were interlaced in the Terai region so was the famous kingdom of Awadh, which ended in 1857. I have heard that the Angami tribes of Northeast are originated from the Magar Gorkha tribes. This I have yet to research.
My quest for Gorkha history began as an interest and developed into soul-mate. I entered into a maze of cross-referring, site visits, and discovering mind-boggling contra-indications. A study of history led to many shocks first and then find answers too many questions about us that I felt was hidden. Gaping holes in tales contradicted through research, led me to believe that a great injustice had been done to many a truth. History is interlinked and the studies led to also the Mughal, Sikh, world, French, British, Afghanistan history, Russian histories-all that took place at that time, because all events are interlinked. In the quagmire, I also got diverted into The Great Game, the Russian-British quest for gaining power in Afghanistan, one of the main reasons why taking the Gorkha territory of the Northwest India, was integral to the British plans. Explorer Francis Younghusband’s trip to Tibet would have been impossible without the help of a band of soldiers of the 8th Gorkha Regiment. Without them he would have fallen into a ravine and perished without making his history.
Restoring forgotten history is like restoring an oil painting, which had not only gathered so much of dust but also been repainted so many times to create different pictures. Many layers of dust and paint have to be painstakingly peeled off one by one to come to the original picture. Reading history is no use, unless you already have questions in your mind. The answers then assemble out themselves. Finding the missing links, turning over many an old stone to find the story, walking (actually literally climbing) in their footsteps became a growing passion.
There are many Gorkha books written by British writers and by Nepalese historians but none by a Gorkha. And even some Gorkhas had written manuscripts it appeared that either they were out of reach locked up somewhere. Others hidden in ancient Gorkha temples had been were hunted and erased out by history hawks. The Gorkha history appears to have been manipulated from the 19th century onwards to suit the political climates.
The ones who create history do not have the time to write it. Then they are gone. What was missing was the soldier’s story. But even after so any years, their stories do exist to be rediscovered. The Gorkhas did not become ‘Bravest of the Brave’ because they worked at it. They became because they were. The sterling qualities required came to them naturally. They were round pegs in round holes. They were hailed as the martial race by the British along with the Sikhs. A title that Kathmandu unfortunately appears to have reserved for only the Kshatriya born from Rajasthan. It was in the Gorkha regiments that the martial races of Nepal were able to continue and preserve their prowess. I can see that it still bothers Kathmandu. The fact that others recognised and benefited from the braves, that they called porters and aborigines in Nepal.
Sikkim: In 1788, the ‘Ayo Gorkhalis’ consolidated their position, within the boundaries of earlier Sikkim. That was before their entry in the west. They established their post at Nagri and controlled till the Chongtong tea estate in Darjeeling. The venture finally ended with signing of the Treaty of Titlya in 1817. These were the military expeditions. From times much ahead, intermingling of the people of the east through marriages, culture, traditions, etc was prevalent from much earlier times.
Northwest: In the North West campaigns, the first honourable historical fact we ought to know is that we were invited to the regions of Uttarkhand and Himachal today, for protection, by the warring petty hill Rajas. We did not come as marauders or invaders. The fact emerged when I wondered why the Gorkhas came to this region when there was not much to gain economically. The Gorkhas were marching to capture Jammu and Kashmir, when this diversion happened which was off the roadmap. Idecuded to call this the Gorkha protectorate era not Gorkha rule.
The 18th and 19th century saw major churns of power securing in the Himalayan region for economic and trade reasons. A new country needs more money and Nepal needed it. The Gorkhas coming out of their region encountered for the first time the lions of that period; the Sikhs, the British and countless great kings. Their battle cries of ‘Ayo Gorkhali!’ brought them to new forces who in turn had never seen any force like the Gorkhas before. They were fierce less with khukris, yet very principled within the confines of their Devi-worshipping Hinduism.
Kumaon-Garhwal: The ‘Ayo Gorkhalis’ consolidated their positions in the Kumaon region from 1790, and Garhwal from 1791. Westward, they were invited by the Raja of Sirmour to protect them from the oppressions of Raja Sansar Chand 11 of Kangra. It was already an era of regional mergers and acquisitions. The hill states which came under the Gorkhas, consequently, were Hindoor and all the states till the river Sutlej. Not only the famous Nalagarh palace hotel near Chandigarh was Gorkha, but even the Ramgarh fort hotel in Panchkula in Chandigarh was under the Gorkhas, much to the chagrin of the raja when I asked him so. I also found out that all the hill rulers also were not of Himachal origin. They also had come into the area from Rajasthan and Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, as a part of the same exodus to Nepal, away from the rising rule of Central Asian forces such as Sher Shah Suri, Lodhis and the Mughal dynasties in India. So we were not the only ‘outsiders’.
Kangra: Dharamshala/Bhagsu lies in this district. In 1806, started the great battle with the mighty Raja Sansar Chand 11 Katoch. The Gorkhas and the Katoches first clashed at Mahal Morian in 1806 (Mahal Morian, by the banks of the Beas River, is on the outskirts of Kangra district, and onset of Hamirpur district). From here the Katoch king was chased to Tira, then Nadaun and finally cornered in the Fort Kangra, where the battle of power continued till 1809.
Eventually the Gorkhas lost, supposedly. I have strong evidential points to debate which totally contradicts this write-off. It is written that they were weakened by epidemics of malaria and cholera. At that time Malaria was an undetected disease. I find it difficult to believe that the Gorkhas who were well-versed in surviving in the wilderness could have been affected by malaria and cholera which only they seem to have suffered from. The symptoms the Gorkha army suffered, to me appear strongly as systemic poisoning of their water resources, by organic poisons very prevalent in the area and used largely for fortifying the long life of the famous Kangra School of Miniature Paintings, for which the Raja and the region was famous for.
The 1804 to 1809 famous Gorkha siege of Kangra Fort between the Gorkha forces was fought between Gorkha Commander Amar Singh Thapa and Raja Sansar Chand 11, the Katoch king. As mentioned earlier, the Gorkhas had been invited by the federation of hill Rajas to protect them from the oppressions of Sansar Chand, who to give the unfortunate king, his due had an ambition of unifying all the hundreds of hill Rajas under one rule. This Siege of Kangra Fort is one of the highlights of Himachal and Nepal history. But it is said to have ended as failure of the Gorkhas and victory for a third party who suddenl;y appeared at the fag end-shrewd Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab, who subsequently made a vassal of poor Sansar Chand. That is what history says. But I have found evidences to debate that the Gorkhas were inside the fort and had reached till the level which remains. The upper storey of the fort where Sansar Chand had hidden, crumbled down in the 1905 earthquake. Why is this important victory of the Gorkhas hidden in history? I have found no Nepal text also acknowledging it. What happened? Why were the Gorkhas not given their due? That is another mystery that I am trying to dig out.
The highlight of the end of the Siege of Kangra Fort was the beginning of the Gorkha-Sikh friendship. Maharaja Ranjit Singh had this great empire of Punjab with the headquarters at Lahore, which he had also seized earlier. Northern India was under the spell of this great warrior king. Though one eyed, the Maharaja was a connoisseur of everything fine, and his sharp eye recognized the qualities of the Gorkhas. He had great cavalry but his infantry was weak. Thereupon started the first recruitment of Gorkhas in a non-Gorkha army as that of an honourable and respectable friendship. The need of the hour was more to consolidate strengths against other strong foes, the British then being seen as the rising one. (The strong powers who could oppose the rise of the empire were the Sikhs, Marathas, Gorkhas and others. Later, the British systemically divided them. History would have been different if the Gorkhas and Sikhs had jointly taken on the Brits. But at this juncture, Ranjit Singh backed out secure in his treaties with the British, which later would also prove to be a folly. The first casualty of the powers that the Brits sought to fell were the Gorkhas). Soldiering was already perhaps the most sought after and only profession in that time for land tillers and others. Under such circumstances, when it was common for hired native and European soldiers to desert a failing side and move to the winning side. Even the British side consisted of all mercenaries. Officers and soldiers from France, America, Ireland, Scotland and other Brit dominated countries. Even our famous adversary Sansar Chand 11, had an ADC by the name of Captain O’Brien, a British army deserter, immortalised holding a fly-whisk standing to his Raja in an oil painting. But everybody realised that the Gorkha were the best and most loyal soldier once he pledged himself.
Lahure Dai: Thus began the culture of the Lahurey Dai. Lahore then being the ‘Paris of the east’, Ranjit Singh’s court set the trends of a lifestyle of good taste and fancy living. Thoroughbred horses, ceremonial military turnouts, beautiful girls, the best of arms and ammunition and high life. Even today in Nepal’s rural sectors coming to India is refereed to as going to ‘Laur’. The Lahure Dai was smart, stylish, knowledgeable and worldly-wise.
Anglo-Gorkha wars: Eventually, the Gorkhas would be the first ones to fight the British on today’s Indian soil, between 1814 and 1816 in the Anglo-Gorkha wars. They were also the first to fight amongst all the Central and Northern Indian states much before 1857 happened. The Anglo-Sikh and Anglo-Mughal wars would happen later. As for the hill states which the Gorkha lost, they would all be swallowed by the British under various schemes including the ‘Doctrine of Lapse’. The Gorkhas never took over any kingdom. They had a system of protectorates. You pay us an annual tribute and we will protect you. Besides that they did not interfere in the king’s life. Others came and took. The Gorkhas were the only ones who gave in the form of magnanimous grants and land to temples. Neither did the Gorkhas forcibly marry the women. That is why there are no lineages of Gorkha Rajas or palaces there. But every royal family had Gorkha marriages much before the Shamsher Ranas and Shahs began their Rajput-seeking marriage circuit. In fact, two of Amar Singh Thapa’s wives were from Himachali families. Maybe that is why the decision to detract from their plans and protect their oppressed kith and kin in the region was decided.
Battle of Malaun, 1815: Some Nepalese historians hold General David Ochterlony as the villain who managed to win the Anglo-Gorkha war at Malaun, by deceit and treachery. I realized that he was doing his duty otherwise would have had his head chopped off by the Governor-General. Ocherlony I found was not a British born General. He was born in New England, Boston. He was in the pay scale of the British East India Company. At peace times, he and Thapa were close friends. He advised Thapa to impress upon Kathmandu not to get into a wrangle with the British Viceroy Hastings who was deliberately provoking Nepal. But Kathmandu did not listen to Tape. The war began with an incident called ‘Hastings’s Bluff” which led to Nepal losing all her Gorkha Protectorate territories.
No wonder the British were always successful, because they always did a thorough geographical, ethnographical, environmental, political study of any area before an attack. Cutting off water and food supplies, coercing supporters to detract, interception by spies were there favourite tactics also considered dishonourable, but otherwise their strategies are worth learning from. They also built roads and managed to take elephants up the hills during the Battle of Malaun. At every point, their engineers and sappers would be active alongside the combat forces.
After the war, Thapa gave in writing in what is called his last order to his troops who consisted of Magars and Gurungs mainly. He wrote that as their commander he granted freedom to join any army they wished to. This was his last gift to his loyal troops. Freedom. Ochterlony and other British officers helped the disbanded troops to assimilate under their name Gorkhas as the 1st Nasiri battalion. This bothered Kathmandu very much. Though the Gorkhas who joined were Thapa’s ablest and loyal men, I once met a Greater Nepal activist who said they ere the riff-raff of the Nepalese army. Oh Yes, with so much of great fighters like the Sikhs, Rajputs, Garhwalis, etc, to choose from, why would the British gather ‘riff-raff’ to make one of their finest regiments.
How come just after the British-Gorkha wars, both became great friends and formed the 1stNasiri battalion (predecessor to the 1st Gorkha Rifles). It was obviously based on friendship because Nasiri means friendship in Arabic. How did the two form the greatest military alliance in history?
Bada Kazi Amar Singh Thapa: Both the Indian and British Gorkha regiments till date maintain their regiments as strictly as per Gorkha customs and traditions. Maybe the founders had made a promise to their earlier Commander Amar Singh Thapa many years ago, but the preservation of the Gorkha soldier could only have been bound by an honour to a man like Bada Kazi Thapa. His famous army which moved like a great tide all over the region from Kali River to the Sutlej River was a Military commander’s army. It was not led by a king. While their country cousins back home became the king’s army, they stood apart over the years with the Gorkha Regiments gaining fame and name from Gallipoli to Kargil. Till today the Gorkha regiments hail their story from Bada Kazi Amar Singh Thapa, the great Gorkha Commander. While the Nepal army hails around the Shah Kings. This is one big cultural difference between them. Thapa was in service of the king. He was not a royal, but for the Gorkha regiments he is their father figure. The Regiments have preserved it intact exactly as the way Thapa would have left his the troops so dear to him in the tragedy of 1815. Whether it is the Indian Gorkhas or the British Gurkhas, everyone speaks Gorkhali. Every regiment has the Baun Bajes. Everyone wears the Gorkhali topi. Everyone party ahs Gorkhali songs played and Gorkhali dances danced. The grandest festival celebrated is Dasain with the traditional animal sacrifices still maintained. Everyone becomes a Gorkha whatever he was born as. The identity remains with them even after retirement. The khukri is the most important symbol. It appears everywhere in every conceivable form. Every Gorkha regiment is a Gorkhaland in every way possible. They have proved to be the most sincere keepers of the Gorkha heritage. I would definitely place the Gorkha regiments as the keepers and preservers of the Gorkha.
1st Gorkha Regiment: After the Anglo-Gorkha wars, the first Gorkha Regiment were raised from the disbanded soldiers. The raising took place at the same region of the Gorkhas, in today’s Malaun and Subathu in HP.
There were many reasons to this, besides the fact, that the British wanted then to consolidate their positions for their future wars. The Gorkhas had already started serving with the Sikhs or Kashmir and other state forces against the British army. As they lost their flags, the British made an offer to continue as a Gorkha Regiment keeping their Gorkha culture and traditions intact.
A good decision because their army thus did not die but has continued as the world famous Gorkha Regiments in India and Britain. Their identity and integrity remained intact. Please refer to the Rajgarh (Malaun) Convention of agreement between Kazi Amar Singh Thapa and David Ochterlony on 15th of May 1815. It is the surrender of the Gorkha Commander of his troops and forts which included Malaun, Arki, Subathu, Mornee, Jeythuck, Rowaheen and all other forts and fortresses now held by the Nepal troops between Jumna and Sutlej Rivers. (This proves that Banesar, Taragarh, etc forts and fortresses which authors are today looking for proofs are Gorkha forts). Once while residing at the Chail Palace Resort, I was pleasantly surprised to read in their brochure that the area was under the Gorkhas.
Dear friends, this and several other questions formed the base of my quest. Why did the clans who are the quintessence of the Gorkha Regiments join so? They were very proud people. Money cannot buy characters who can selflessly sacrifice themselves. It had to be something to do with their ethnic pride and honour. How come these same people were held with contempt by Kathmandu? It had to be jealousy and losing control over them. How come Gorkha families remained in the Indo-Himalayan hills and not shift to Nepal? As one Nepal historian once called the Gorkha habitats as breeding farms. Why such a contemptuous description of respectable and respected Gorkha community habitats?
The beginning of the Gorkha Regts was more the need of the hour for the displaced martial tribes form Nepal to find a place for their survival of their race and dignity. With the Commander Thapa dying mysteriously in Gosainkund, Nepal and his brave sons slaughtered in Kathmandu on return, what place would the soldiers have?
It was very little to do with money (we were never known to be an avaricious race) but more to do with survival from the building of the new socio-cultural genocide of Nepalese tribes and clans. Today forming what is also called the janjaatis.
Today in the Gorkhaland movement, I find the same need of the socially oppressed jaatis to find a platform of dignity and survival. But surely you would respect the Gorkha soldiers more if you understood how they were born in the first place.
Mercenaries?: When the Gorkhas entered Kangra, it was already an era of mercenaries. In fact they were the last to enter into the league, and only on condition that their regiment would be called the Gorkha regiments, not as Scottish Highlanders or anything like that. Soldiering was the best paying profession as the way you would judge options today. There was so much of warfare that armies were always trying to secure the best men. It is a pity that even Prachand, Nepal’s new Prime minister is still in some ways a perpetrator of the same society that he sought to change. By calling Gorkha ‘mercenaries’ he is still a party to the age old prejudice and jealousy that Kathmandu felt towards the Gorkha soldiers that they could not harness in penury and backward circumstances back home. One would have thought for a Janjaati revolutionary he would have understood why the Gorkhas joined the Gorkha Regiment starting from 1815. I do not think he thinks thus, otherwise he would not be trying to strip them of their dignity.
Mr. Prachand you will find it interesting to know that till the early 1900s, the British Gorkha regiments were called the ‘Lal Kurti’ regiments as red was their colour till it was changed to green.
There are those who resent the British Gorkhas for disparity of pay, etc. Yet it is commendable that British ladies like Cherie Blair and recently Joanna Lumley that the Gorkhas are gaining their rights. In the Indian regiments there is no disparity of pays and pensions, etc.
To conclude, while we are in the process of making Gorkhaland a reality, the Indian Gorkhas should not make the same mistake that Nepal made about the attitude towards Gorkha soldiers. Because you are also doing the same thing that they became soldiers for. For the survival of their ethnic identity as the martial races of Nepal, not to be shoved to some nondescript category.
And those who call themselves as Gorkhas and cannot respect the origin and history of our Gorkha regiments are not in a position to make a new healthy Gorkhaland society.
Books:
For those who would like to read about the Gorkha history as I explained is written but is not the entire truth, I recommend the following:
The Rise of the House of the Gorkha by Ludwig F. Stiller
The 1st KGVO Gurkha Rifles by F.L. Petre
The Himalayan Gazetteer-Three Volumes by Atkinson
The Rediscovered History of the Gorkhas by Brig CB Khanduri
The History of the Panjab Hill States by J Hutchison and J Ph Vogel
The Gurkhas by John Parker
Gurkhas at War by Bob Crew
On the internet, The Mahesh Regmi Foundation papers
But as I told you they are narratives, and at times not the first-hand story. The social factors explaining certain events of our history are also not elaborated upon.
As Bob Crew write in the introduction to his book……
‘To recount the colourful and adventurous 186 year history of the Gorkhas is a rare gift for any writer. It is a glittering prize, for theirs is the extraordinary story of a legendary people whose astonishing exploits echo down through ages. Nor is there any shortage of material from which to choose in setting out the history of these amazing and at times mind-boggling soldiers. …….When revisiting the hallowed ground of the Gurkha’s past; one cannot fail to respect what ahs gone before and to strive to do justice to it. But at the same time one is also aware of the need to bring to light where possible and exploring how Gorkhas are perceived in the new millennium.’
He also writes in his first chapter ‘When British and Gurkha soldiers first clapped eyes on one another, they did so as deadly foes, in two long and bloody military campaigns in the Anglo-Nepalese war of 1814-16, and it was love at first sight-and fright’
Today there are Indian Gorkhas and British Gurkhas, but for me they are the same. Yes politically, as Indian Gorkhas we are Indian citizens but the Gorkha is the same from the ethnic and legendary point of view.
Today while the Gorkha are extending out vigorously as the hanging roots of a Banyan tree, in terms of history we are still appear to be lost amongst the various branches. It is high time we know ourselves truthfully and sincerely.
PS: John Parker in The Gurkhas, published in 1999: ‘Statistics are perhaps hardly the way to begin what is a human story, packed with tales of incredible courage and glowing tributes to a particular breed of small, fighting men recruited from the foothills of the Himalayas into the service of a nation that they owed absolutely no allegiance. However two sets of figures strike a particular chord. They bring us straight to the heart of this history of the Gurkhas, who are called mercenaries, but for whom, it will be seen, and money is not the only draw. For one thing, the British have never been generous in their payment. They began by handing out sufficient rewards to entice thousands of wild, young boys down from the hills of Nepal and away from their desperate lives in a closed, isolated and medieval society where until quite recently the average peasant male could not expect to live beyond early adulthood. But gradually the Gurkhas transcended the role of simple mercenary. Sheer kudos took hold, along with the deeply held family tradition of service in the British and Indian armies, which today can be traced back through four or five generations. Along the way, the Gurkhas have amassed a large hoard of some of some of the highest honours of bravery……………….
Wrote by daiba ram Chamling
Sunday, August 16, 2009
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HHere is the painting I did from the very end of the dock. On my walk to the end of the pier, I passed many artists, already working away. I felt I was late getting there, but it was only 6:00 PM. Sun wouldn't set for another two and a half hours!
For my painting, I decided to focus on the sky, not the marina or boats. It had been quite some time since I'd painted sunset. The evening breeze was exhilerating; the smell of the water said I was home; as did the sounds of the water lapping against the pier, and the gulls crying out. I enjoyed painting that evening and felt alone in a crowd, but not lonely.
Many, many people stopped to talk and ask me about the reddish underpainting I often use. I had some great conversations that evening. My favorite was with a man from Australia who was retired and had all the time in the world to paint, but something was stopping him. I finally said that it was most likely fear. I handed him a linen panel and my card and told him to email me when he'd finished this painting. He lives in St. Louis, and most likely will be out there painting with Shawn Cornell. He was fun to talk with and said he'd watched me painting for about an hour.
MHere is the painting I did from the very end of the dock. On my walk to the end of the pier, I passed many artists, already working away. I felt I was late getting there, but it was only 6:00 PM. Sun wouldn't set for another two and a half hours!
For my painting, I decided to focus on the sky, not the marina or boats. It had been quite some time since I'd painted sunset. The evening breeze was exhilerating; the smell of the water said I was home; as did the sounds of the water lapping against the pier, and the gulls crying out. I enjoyed painting that evening and felt alone in a crowd, but not lonely.
Many, many people stopped to talk and ask me about the reddish underpainting I often use. I had some great conversations that evening. My favorite was with a man from Australia who was retired and had all the time in the world to paint, but something was stopping him. I finally said that it was most likely fear. I handed him a linen panel and my card and told him to email me when he'd finished this painting. He lives in St. Louis, and most likely will be out there painting with Shawn Cornell. He was fun to talk with and said he'd watched me painting for about an hour.
My entertainment, other than the sky, was listening and talking with a man and his two boys, ages 5 and 6. He was teaching them to bait hooks and cast their lines into the waters just beside where I was painting. He was patient with them, and praised them when they did a good cast. We got to talking and he and his boys were going out the next day on a friends sailboat, a boat just like the one "he'd traded in for his two boys.
In prepartion for a good time, they'd bought a Jolly Roger flag and he got them hats and eye patches. Kooooool!y entertainment, other than the sky, was listening and talking with a man and his two boys, ages 5 and 6. He was teaching them to bait hooks and cast their lines into the waters just beside where I was painting. He was patient with them, and praised them when they did a good cast. We got to talking and he and his boys were going out the next day on a friends sailboat, a boat just like the one "he'd traded in for his two boys.
In prepartion for a good time, they'd bought a Jolly Roger flag and he got them hats and eye patches. Kooooool!ere is the painting I did from the very end of the dock. On my walk to the end of the pier, I passed many artists, already working away. I felt I was late getting there, but it was only 6:00 PM. Sun wouldn't set for another two and a half hours!
For my painting, I decided to focus on the sky, not the marina or boats. It had been quite some time since I'd painted sunset. The evening breeze was exhilerating; the smell of the water said I was home; as did the sounds of the water lapping against the pier, and the gulls crying out. I enjoyed painting that evening and felt alone in a crowd, but not lonely.
Many, many people stopped to talk and ask me about the reddish underpainting I often use. I had some great conversations that evening. My favorite was with a man from Australia who was retired and had all the time in the world to paint, but something was stopping him. I finally said that it was most likely fear. I handed him a linen panel and my card and told him to email me when he'd finished this painting. He lives in St. Louis, and most likely will be out there painting with Shawn Cornell. He was fun to talk with and said he'd watched me painting for about an hour.
My entertainment, other than the sky, was listening and talking with a man and his two boys, ages 5 and 6. He was teaching them to bait hooks and cast their lines into the waters just beside where I was painting. He was patient with them, and praised them when they did a good cast. We got to talking and he and his boys were going out the next day on a friends sailboat, a boat just like the one "he'd traded in for his two boys.
In prepartion for a good time, they'd bought a Jolly Roger flag and he got them hats and eye patches. Kooooool!
For my painting, I decided to focus on the sky, not the marina or boats. It had been quite some time since I'd painted sunset. The evening breeze was exhilerating; the smell of the water said I was home; as did the sounds of the water lapping against the pier, and the gulls crying out. I enjoyed painting that evening and felt alone in a crowd, but not lonely.
Many, many people stopped to talk and ask me about the reddish underpainting I often use. I had some great conversations that evening. My favorite was with a man from Australia who was retired and had all the time in the world to paint, but something was stopping him. I finally said that it was most likely fear. I handed him a linen panel and my card and told him to email me when he'd finished this painting. He lives in St. Louis, and most likely will be out there painting with Shawn Cornell. He was fun to talk with and said he'd watched me painting for about an hour.
MHere is the painting I did from the very end of the dock. On my walk to the end of the pier, I passed many artists, already working away. I felt I was late getting there, but it was only 6:00 PM. Sun wouldn't set for another two and a half hours!
For my painting, I decided to focus on the sky, not the marina or boats. It had been quite some time since I'd painted sunset. The evening breeze was exhilerating; the smell of the water said I was home; as did the sounds of the water lapping against the pier, and the gulls crying out. I enjoyed painting that evening and felt alone in a crowd, but not lonely.
Many, many people stopped to talk and ask me about the reddish underpainting I often use. I had some great conversations that evening. My favorite was with a man from Australia who was retired and had all the time in the world to paint, but something was stopping him. I finally said that it was most likely fear. I handed him a linen panel and my card and told him to email me when he'd finished this painting. He lives in St. Louis, and most likely will be out there painting with Shawn Cornell. He was fun to talk with and said he'd watched me painting for about an hour.
My entertainment, other than the sky, was listening and talking with a man and his two boys, ages 5 and 6. He was teaching them to bait hooks and cast their lines into the waters just beside where I was painting. He was patient with them, and praised them when they did a good cast. We got to talking and he and his boys were going out the next day on a friends sailboat, a boat just like the one "he'd traded in for his two boys.
In prepartion for a good time, they'd bought a Jolly Roger flag and he got them hats and eye patches. Kooooool!y entertainment, other than the sky, was listening and talking with a man and his two boys, ages 5 and 6. He was teaching them to bait hooks and cast their lines into the waters just beside where I was painting. He was patient with them, and praised them when they did a good cast. We got to talking and he and his boys were going out the next day on a friends sailboat, a boat just like the one "he'd traded in for his two boys.
In prepartion for a good time, they'd bought a Jolly Roger flag and he got them hats and eye patches. Kooooool!ere is the painting I did from the very end of the dock. On my walk to the end of the pier, I passed many artists, already working away. I felt I was late getting there, but it was only 6:00 PM. Sun wouldn't set for another two and a half hours!
For my painting, I decided to focus on the sky, not the marina or boats. It had been quite some time since I'd painted sunset. The evening breeze was exhilerating; the smell of the water said I was home; as did the sounds of the water lapping against the pier, and the gulls crying out. I enjoyed painting that evening and felt alone in a crowd, but not lonely.
Many, many people stopped to talk and ask me about the reddish underpainting I often use. I had some great conversations that evening. My favorite was with a man from Australia who was retired and had all the time in the world to paint, but something was stopping him. I finally said that it was most likely fear. I handed him a linen panel and my card and told him to email me when he'd finished this painting. He lives in St. Louis, and most likely will be out there painting with Shawn Cornell. He was fun to talk with and said he'd watched me painting for about an hour.
My entertainment, other than the sky, was listening and talking with a man and his two boys, ages 5 and 6. He was teaching them to bait hooks and cast their lines into the waters just beside where I was painting. He was patient with them, and praised them when they did a good cast. We got to talking and he and his boys were going out the next day on a friends sailboat, a boat just like the one "he'd traded in for his two boys.
In prepartion for a good time, they'd bought a Jolly Roger flag and he got them hats and eye patches. Kooooool!
khotangedorpali
Nepal is the beautiful country in the world .It is full up mountains, hills, forest, water and many kinds of animals etc.We found there many kinds of flowers and birds so really looks like beautiful. There are many kinds of peoples stay like Rai, Limbu, Chhetri, Braman and shrestha etc. I mean daiba ram chamling please all friends l want to tell u something but I can't explain. Because stone is enough to break a glass ...one sentence is enough to break a heart... One seconded is enough to fall in love and one misunderstanding is sufficient to break friendship .Friendship is the rainbow between to hearts. So that i want to friendship with all world wide friends till and end .I can't lose my all dear friends .thank you very much .start to see this and I want to advice. Thanks waiting for yours advice ok Good luck.
Nepal is the beautiful country in the world .It is full up mountains, hills, forest, water and many kinds of animals etc.We found there many kinds of flowers and birds so really looks like beautiful. There are many kinds of peoples stay like Rai, Limbu, Chhetri, Braman and shrestha etc. I mean daiba ram chamling please all friends l want to tell u something but I can't explain. Because stone is enough to break a glass ...one sentence is enough to break a heart... One seconded is enough to fall in love and one misunderstanding is sufficient to break friendship .Friendship is the rainbow between to hearts. So that i want to friendship with all world wide friends till and end .I can't lose my all dear friends .thank you very much .start to see this and I want to advice. Thanks waiting for yours advice ok Good luck.
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