#नेपाळचे गुरखा जवान #युक्रेन युद्धामध्ये लढायला जात आहेत का?ते चिनी सैन्...

Despite Nepal’s neutral foreign policy priority, Nepali youths are not just working in foreign militaries through formal channels but are also joining foreign forces as private citizens. For example, it is estimated that thousands of Nepali youths have joined the Foreign Legion of the French Army, even though there is no official agreement between Nepal and France toward this end.

In the United States also, Nepal ranks as one of the top sources of immigrants willing to join the U.S. Army as a path to get U.S. citizenship. Based on the data of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Nepal ranked seventh in this regard, behind the Philippines, Mexico, China, South Korea, Jamaica, and Nigeria.

These instances illustrate that there is nothing unique about the Russia-Ukraine war that is drawing Nepali youth to join. Rather, Nepal’s young men have long shown a willingness to enlist in foreign forces. There are three main reasons for this dynamic.

First, Nepal has a long history of fierce fighting and pride in martial prowess is part of the national psyche. Modern Nepal was formed after military conquests of dozens of principalities. Besides domestic fighting experience, Nepalis fought with the collective forces of Tibet and China in 1791. On behalf of the British, Nepali youths have fought in almost all of Britain’s wars since 1815. The same is true for India since its independence. Whether officially or privately, Nepal has a long tradition of sending soldiers to fight for foreign armies, making it an easily thought-of option for today’s youth.

And those youth are in desperate need of options. Young Nepalis cannot find enough resources and opportunities in Nepal. Unemployment, low pay, and lack of vacancies in Nepal’s own military are other factors driving Nepali youths out of Nepal to enlist with foreign forces.

It seems like Nepali youths are eager to join all active militaries – irrespective of ideological lines – if they can secure respect and good payment. That is why we see Nepali youths fighting alongside both Ukrainian and Russian forces.

YO GORKHALI (The Gorkhas are upon you), is quite a menacing war cry on the battlefield. The Gorkhas have impressed one and all with their courage and fighting spirit. Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw paid them the ultimate compliment: “If a man says he is not afraid of dying, he is either lying or he is a Gorkha.”

The Gorkha regiments are among the most decorated in the Indian Army and have served with unquestionable distinction. There is not a single battle or insurgency theatre in independent India where the Gorkha has not spilled blood―his own, as well as that of his adversary. And the incredible fact is that a substantial number of them are citizens of another country. Nepal is the traditional homeland of the Gorkhas, although they are also present in considerable numbers in India’s northeast and regions close to the Himalayas.

Not too far back in the past, every year there would be a rush of fresh-faced Gorkha lads in Nepal, keen on a career in the Indian and British armies and the Singapore Police. But for the last three years, there have been no recruitment drives for the Indian Army, following a directive to that effect from Kathmandu.