Revered as soldiers, the Gurkhas are Nepalis who are recruited into the British Army, the Singapore Police, the Indian Army, and recently, even the Russian army. 

Synopsis: Join The Straits Times' senior columnist Ravi Velloor, as he distils his experience from four decades of covering the Asian continent.

In this episode, Ravi speaks with one of the most highly decorated officers of the Indian Army, retired Lt. Gen. Shokin Chauhan, on the future of Gurkhas, the famous warriors from the hill tribes of central Nepal. Gurkhas, who form the largest ethnic component of the Indian Army, have also lately been in the news after it was reported that some of them died fighting for Russia in the Ukraine War. 

A celebrated scholar-soldier and a retired second generation Gurkha Rifles officer of the Indian Army, Lt. Gen. Chauhan and Ravi discuss recent changes to India’s military recruitment policies that led Nepal to ban Gurkha recruitment by New Delhi, whether Nepal’s Maoist government will permit Nepalese soldiers to continue participating in UN peacekeeping operations, and the relevance of foot-soldiers in the era of robotics in warfare.

Highlights (click/tap above):

2:00 Why Gurkha troops are special

08:50 Special height provisions for Gurkhas in British, Indian armies

11:15 Why Gurkhas go abroad to fight; Gurkhas in Russia

14:40 How India’s new recruitment policy hits Gurkhas 

18:00 Could India’s Gurkha Regiment be disbanded?

22:50 Nepal and UN peace-keeping operations

25:00 Future of Gurkhas and infantry in the age of robotics

Produced by: Ravi Velloor ([email protected]) and Fa’izah Sani

Edited by: Fa’izah Sani

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