Warrior Gentlemen "Gurkhas" In the Western Imagination

Caplan, Lionel. Warrior Gentlemen "Gurkhas" In the Western Imagination. Providence, RI: Berghahn Books, 1995. 181 pp.

The Gurkhas occupy an exalted place in military history. Legend has it German troops panicked during World War II when they learned Gurkhas were facing them on the other side of the line. A great deal has been written about the Gurkhas, mainly memoirs by their British officers. A thorough overview of the Gurkhas is needed but is only partly supplied in Lionel Caplan's Warrior Gentlemen.

Caplan, a Canadian anthropologist residing in Britain, does not have any discernable anti-military biases or axes to grind. His fieldwork included time in Nepal and interviews with former British officers who served with the Gurkhas. His account is illuminating but not comprehensive. Warrior Gentlemen is not a history of the Gurkhas but rather an analysis of them utilizing anthropological approaches. Caplan sees the Gurkhas' motivations as securing land, wealth and prestige via service in the British and Indian armies. Many soldiers probably enlist for these reasons everywhere but in Nepal the Gurkhas are an institution. In effect, the Gurkhas are part of Nepal society and if their institution were to disappear, it would result in profound changes in Nepal. Colonial armies in Africa and Asia were instrumental in the emergence of Third World nationalism and independence movements. Many young Africans and Asians enlisted to attain privileges and prestige. But while new nations sprang from colonial armies elsewhere, this did not occur in Nepal. In fact, it was only in recent years that Nepalis began to seriously question the Gurkhas. So we must consider the possibility that the Gurkhas were the exception to the colonial pattern across two continents.

Caplan argues the British transformed the Gurkhas into honorary Europeans and wrapped them in an exotic mantle. To some extent this is true. British attachment to Gurkhas is far greater than to the King's African Rifles of East Africa or other African colonial regiments. But would it not be natural for the British to develop an attachment to soldiers who have served them faithfully for so long? Would it not be natural for the Gurkhas' British officers to feel a unique attachment to them after many years of serving together?

The vast Gurkha literature is one reason why the Gurkhas are so romanticized. Indeed, this forms leisure reading for many British army officers. Perhaps if there were as much to read on African regiments or if what is available were more easily accessible, the situation might be different. But the Gurkha literature fuels the legend and thus it attracts British officers to it like a magnet.

The Gurkhas' future is also scrutinized. The demise of the British empire and return of Hong Kong in 1997 have greatly reduced the need for Gurkha service. Some Gurkhas, however, served with the Indian Army both before and after independence and their tradition may survive in this manner, albeit serving an Asian government. To some extent, the Gurkhas are a survival of an earlier era. Perhaps there will come a time when there is no need for Gurkha regiments, but it is not here yet. Caplan notes how Nepal nationalists perceive Gurkha service as a colonial anachronism . Nationalist feelings aside, are the nationalists willing to forego the economic advantages not to mention the safety valve the Gurkhas provide Nepal? Once abolished, it might not be possible to reconstitute the Gurkhas.

Emotional considerations frequently overpower reason when nationalism and nation-building are concerned. Let us hope the Nepalis ponder what they might gain and lose before they decide to disband the Gurkhas.

James Biedzynski Ocean County College

Copyright Association of Third World Studies, Inc. Spring 1998
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