Index
Abdullah, Noorman, 149
Adhikari, Jagannath, 33
affective belonging, 162–63, 219
affective labor, 138
Alexandra Grammar School, 229n31
Allen, Nick, 58
All Party Parliamentary Group on Gurkha Welfare, 183
ambulance project, 119
ancestry
and courage among Gurkhas, 65
pride for Gurkha, 91
and recruitment of Gurkhas, 70
and ties to home and property, 122–23, 163
See also family
Anderson, Bridget, 93
Anglo-Nepal war of 1814–16, 3, 22
Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS), 180–81, 182
arranged marriage, 106
Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (AIT), 192
athletic ability, 58
Bahadurgurang, Megh, 235n45
Banskota, Purushottam, 112
Bappa Rawal, 229n2
Baral, Raj Kumar, 76
Belbase, Jib, 211
Bellamy, Chris, 23
belonging
as analytical tool, 220
character and definition of, 7
and cultural practices, 124
in diaspora, 46
of Gurkha wives and children, 132–33
intergenerational differences in perception of, 132
limits and possibilities of, 7, 8, 224–26
multiple, 147–48, 152–53, 154–55, 166–67
as ongoing project, 11
and post-retirement community-building in Nepal, 118
as relational and intertwined with family, 130–31
ways to think about, 225
See also belonging, legal politics of; bracketed belonging; compound identity
belonging, legal politics of, 175–79, 216–17
forms and features of legal bracketing, 184–203
and legal and immigratory contexts and changes since 1990s, 179–83
and parliamentary advocacy for Gurkhas, 207–16
and 2021 hunger strike and petition regarding pensions, 204–7
BGAESO Singapore Gurkhas Department, 205–6
Bhandari, Bidhya Devi, 94
Bingham, Lord, 203
Blunkett, David, 198
Bourne School, 229n31
as analytical tool and framework, 223
and coexistence of inclusionary and exclusionary practices, 121
and community, 112
and policy approaches ensuring Gurkha homogeneity, 37–39
and transnational practices, 45–46
See also legal bracketing
See also bracketed belonging; legal bracketing
bravery
and narratives of warrior Gurkha, 60–69
and sentimentality of Gurkhas, 107–8
Brigade of Gurkhas, 180, 182–83, 196–97, 218
British Army
celebration of Gurkha service in, 126
distinctions made by nationality in, 179
employment with Singapore Police Force versus, 7–8
Gurkha contracts with, 239n20
and Gurkha diaspora, 28, 82–83
Gurkha recruitment into, 2–3, 22–23, 56–57, 82–83, 99–101, 239n20
and legal bracketing of Gurkhas to Nepal, 185–86
pension disparities between British and Gurkhas in, 180–81
policy approaches ensuring Gurkha homogeneity in, 39
prejudice against “line boys” in, 227n3
relations between British and Gurkhas in, 57–59
and separation of Indian military and Gurkhas, 61–62
See also Great Britain; United Kingdom
British Council of Gurkhas (BCG), 207
British Gurkha Army Ex-Servicemen’s Organization, 205–6
British Gurkha Brigade, 96
British Gurkha Dharan (BGD) Old Ghopa camp, 100
British Gurkha Pokhara (BGP) camp, 100
British Gurkhas Community Winchester, 120
British Gurkha Welfare Society (BGWS), 111, 207
Brown, Judith, 22
Brunei, and Gurkha diaspora, 27–28
“Buddhas Inside War, The” (Rai), 81
Caplan, Lionel, 50, 53, 58, 62, 63–64, 80, 232n46
Cassarino, Jean-Pierre, 116, 173
Chakraborty, Anup Shekhar, 24
Chico Force (M) Sdn Bhd, 74–75
children
belonging and homeland for, 125, 163–64
cultural differences between Singapore and Nepal, 164–65
and dual belonging, 152–53, 154–55, 166–67
education of, 229n31
language acquisition and integration of, 228n12, 231n41
and language and not-belonging, 165–66
and legal bracketing of Gurkha family unit, 199–204
and not-belonging in Hong Kong, 159–61
opportunities for, in Hong Kong versus Nepal, 161–63
and politics of belonging, 169–71, 173
residency for, 169–71, 183, 243n117
teaching Nepalese culture and customs to, 124, 147
See also family; wives and children
China
Hong Kong’s transfer to, 181
Chisholm, Amanda, 50, 71, 73, 137, 222, 234n39
Chong, Zi Liang, 103
citizenship
and legal bracketing of Gurkhas to UK, 193–94
requirements for British, 232n3
and shifts in brackets of belonging, 195, 196, 198
See also indefinite leave to enter or remain (ILR/E); residency
Clegg, Nick, 193
compound identity, 147–48. See also dual belonging
Constable, Nicole, 129
cooperative, and post-retirement community-building in Nepal, 114–17
courage. See bravery
cultural bracketing, 37, 39–40, 149, 186
cultural citizenship, 112, 221
cultural programs, 124, 140, 149–50, 235n54
Dal Bahadur Gurung, 82
Dasain, 149
death, Gurkha preoccupation with, 67–68
Des Chene, Mary K., 11, 55–56, 58
deservedness
and legal bracketing of Gurkhas to Nepal, 188–90
and parliamentary advocacy for Gurkhas, 207–8, 212–15
Dewan, Bimala, 232n6
Dhakal, Rajendra P., 23
countries of Gurkha, 19f
emergence/creation of Gurkha, 219, 221–22
experience of Gurkha, 18, 34–48
Gurkha families in, 228n21
individual experiences in, 218–19
making of Gurkha, 18
and meanings of homeland, 36–42
and post-retirement community-building in Nepal, 119
and return/step migration, 34–36
See also migrant Gurkha
Diplomatic Service Procedures (DSP), 199–200
discipline, 68
displacement, 164
dual belonging, 152–53, 154–55, 166–67. See also compound identity
earthquakes, 120–21, 235nn45–46
education, 93–94, 106, 161, 170–71, 229nn9,31, 232n47
Elling Primary School, 228n12
emigration, culture of, 87–88, 93, 94
employment
following retirement, 228n18, 237n20
Enlistment. See recruitment
Enloe, Cynthia H., 51, 54, 233n11
Entry Clearance Officer v KG (2011), 200, 201–2
Entry Clearance Officer v UR and others (2010), 200, 201
Espiritu, Yen Le, 46
ethnic identity, and recruitment of Gurkhas, 70
European Council of Human Rights (ECHR), 179
Falklands War (1982), 63
family
in diaspora, 228n21
and gendered divisions of labor, 136–37, 139–40, 186–87
legal bracketing of Gurkha, 199–204, 243n117
legal definitions of, 179
and ties to home and property, 163
See also ancestry; children; wives and children
Farwell, Byron, 60, 134, 140, 227n3, 231n39
fear, experienced by Gurkhas, 66–68
festivals, 37, 39–40, 149, 186
food and foodways, and sense of belonging, 149, 150–53
Freyer, Ana Vila, 147
Gaje, Havildar, 62
gallās, 70
gender divisions, between Gurkha men and women, 136–37, 139–40, 186–87
Ghale, Pushpa Rana, 205
Ghale Humkumar, 73
Ghising, L., 238n2
Ghising, Roshan, 175, 201, 203–4, 243n117
Gillespie, Judge, 201
Glenn, Evelyn Nakano, 108
Global Security, 110
Gould, Tony, 50, 52–53, 64, 69, 86, 232n47
Great Britain. See United Kingdom
grocery shop, and post-retirement community-building in Nepal, 114–17
Gurkha Army Ex-Servicemen’s Organisation (GAESO), 95
Gurkha Army Training School, 101, 102f
Gurkha Brigade Association, 215
Gurkha Disability Pension, 215–16
Gurkha Engineers, 104
Gurkha Fitness Centre & Golf School, 101, 102f
Gurkha International Security Services Co. Ltd, 74
Gurkha Justice Campaign, 215, 239n16
Gurkha literature, 232n46. See also Nepali writing/poetry
Gurkha Offer to Transfer (GOTT), 182, 195
Gurkha Pension Scheme (GPS), 180, 182, 243n128
Gurkhas
as case of police militarization, 5
and conceptualization of belonging, 6–12
experience of, 18, 34–38, 103–9
in global security market, 3–5
historical and modern perceptions of, 49–50, 229n9
neutrality of, 27
origin of term, 229n2
and transnational nature of security work, 5
See also diaspora; migrant Gurkha; recruitment; warrior Gurkha
Gurkha Security Guards, 227n1
Gurkha Security Services, 71–72
Gurkha Service Pension, 215–16
Gurkhas Group, The (G3S), 73–74
Gurkha Study and Research Centre, 207
Gurkha Warrior (2023), 222
Gurkha Welfare Trust (UK), 111
Guru Gorakhnath, 229n2
Gurung, Bhim Bahadur, 73
Gurung, Dhan, 205
Gurung, Dil Bahadur, 65
Gurung, Kulbahadur, 24
Gurung, Padam Bahadur, 206
Gurung, Sunita, 95
Gurung, Thaku, 73
Gurung, Tim I., 30, 77, 228n21
Gurung, Yam, 204
Gurung and others v The Secretary of State for Defence (2008), 194
Haaland, Gunnar, 28
Hamilton, Francis, 53
Harry, Prince, 212
Hausner, Sondra, 221
Hedetoft, Ulf, 154
Heroism. See sacrifice
Himachal Punjab Gorkha Association, 227n2
history, and Gurkha bravery, 65
Hodgson, Brian Houghton, 53, 55–56
home/homeland
and changes to British immigration laws, 183
diaspora and meanings of, 36–42, 46–47
and Gurkha wives and children, 131–33
sources of homeness, 154
and thinking about belonging and diaspora, 225
homosexuality, 231n39
Hong Kong
calls for Gurkha memorial or museum in, 237n22
family quarters in, 135
Hindu festivals and feelings of home in, 37
Nepali associations in, 228n22
perception of Gurkhas in, 82–83
residency in, 122–23, 129, 156, 236n5
transfer to China, 181
humanitarian aid, 120–21, 235nn45–46
hunger strike and petition (2021), 179, 204–7
Hutt, Michael, 231n40
Immigration Rules HC 395, 181–82
impartiality, 27
imperialism, 21, 30, 219, 221–22
inclusionary bracketing, 216
indefinite leave to enter or remain (ILR/E), 9, 175, 182–83, 236n10. See also citizenship; residency
India
independence from British rule, 30
policy approaches ensuring Gurkha homogeneity in, 37–39
Tripartite Agreement (TPA, 1947), 23, 24, 39, 178, 179–80, 184–85
Indian Army
Gurkha recruitment into, 23–25
Gurkha wives and children in, 134–35
and narratives of warrior Gurkha, 61–62
policy approaches ensuring Gurkha homogeneity in, 37–39
recruitment and enlistment of Gurkhas in, 185
women recruited into, 96
interdiasporic experiences, 43–45
intergenerational difference and sameness, 10–11, 132, 140–41, 146–47, 149, 159, 160–61
Laksamba, Chandra K., 180, 198
Lama, Ganju, 62
Lama, Tsheden, 95
Lamont, Michelle, 9
language learning and use
and employment in Singapore, 171
and experiences of women married to Gurkhas, 144–47
and integration of Gurkha children, 228n12, 231n41
and not-belonging, 157, 160, 165–66
law and policymaking. See belonging, legal politics of
leave, 186
legal bracketing, 184–203, 216
deservedness by birth and nationality, 188–90
of Gurkha family unit, 199–204, 243n117
Gurkha-Nepal belonging, 184–87
and Gurkha-UK connections, 190–94
resisting brackets of belonging, 187–88
Limbu, Kailash, 53, 64, 66–67, 231n39
Limbu and others v Secretary of State for the Home Department, Entry Clearance Officer (2008), 187, 190
Linden, David, 208
“line boys,” 227n3
long leave, 186
Macpherson Primary School, 148
Magar, Nam Sing Thapa, 1
male sojourner, shift in trajectory and role of, 97
mandatory repatriation, 8, 10, 21, 32, 35–36, 42, 98, 177
Maoist People’s War, 232n4
Marenin, Otwin, 5
marriage, 38–39, 106, 108–9, 234n36, 236n9
Married Accompanied Service (MAS), 180, 182
martial race theory, 49, 222–23
and comparisons across Nepali groups, 53–57
and construction of martial race, 50–53
and contrasting depictions of Gurkhas, 76–81
and encounters between British and Gurkhas, 57–59
and narratives and counternarratives of warrior Gurkha, 60–69
and rhetoric of training centers and security services, 69–75
See also warrior Gurkha
mass migrations, from South Asia, 21–22
Mee, Kathlee, 155
methodological transnationalism, 20–21, 45, 47
and citizenship and home, 121–27
and familial tradition of enlistment, 87–97
and recruitment process, 98–103
See also diaspora
migration
return, 8, 10–11, 34–36, 122–24, 142–43, 164–65, 171–72, 173
See also mandatory repatriation
migration research, 20
military recruitment handbooks, 54
Miller, Maria, 209
Minami, Makito, 228n22
Molnar, Virag, 9
Monaghan, Carol, 207, 213, 214
Morgan, Stephen, 208
Morris, John, 231n39
Murphy, Dervla, 90
music, 149
Nabin Kumar Siwa, 71
national belonging, 193, 194, 221
nationality, and legal bracketing of Gurkhas to Nepal, 188–90
Nepal
Anglo-Nepal war of 1814–16, 3, 22
celebration of relations between UK and, 126
cultural differences between Singapore and, 164–65
and home of Gurkha children, 131–32
humanitarian aid sent to, 120–21, 235nn45–46
legal bracketing of Gurkhas to, 184–87
mandatory repatriation to, 8, 10, 21, 32, 35–36, 42, 98, 177
martial race theory and classification of groups in, 53–57
and multiplicity of home, 154–55
not-belonging in, 164
opportunities in Hong Kong versus, 161–63
as place of transit, 35
politics and armed conflict in, 232n4
recruitment centers in, 2f
return to, 122–24, 142–43, 164, 171–72
sustaining continual ties to, 37, 39–40, 45–46
Tripartite Agreement (TPA, 1947), 23, 24, 39, 178, 179–80, 184–85
Nepalese Community in Oxford (NCO), 149
Nepalese Community Winchester, 120
Nepal Ex-Servicemen Organization (NESO), 207
Nepal Ex-Servicemen’s Association (NESA), 207
Nepali Army, 96
Nepali writing/poetry, 76, 231n40, 232n48. See also Gurkha literature
neutrality, 27
Newars, 55
Nieswand, Boris, 20
obligation, and legal bracketing of Gurkhas to Nepal, 185
Omissi, David, 229n3
orderliness, 68
organ donation, 229n9
Pariyar, Mitra, 149, 150, 235n54
Parker, John, 49, 77, 82, 84–85, 232n1
Paudyal, Mahesh, 76
Peers, Douglas M., 52
Pemble, John, 50
pensions
disparities in British Army, 180–81
as draw for recruitment, 92
hunger strike and petition regarding, 179, 204–7
and legal bracketing of Gurkhas to Nepal, 189
and legal bracketing of Gurkhas to UK, 243n128
and shifts in brackets of belonging, 194–95
See also widows/widows’ pension
Perumal, Elan, 26
Pokhara
post-retirement investment and community-building in, 111, 114–15
policing space, expansion and redefinition of, 5
Prison Gurkha Unit, 26
Prithibinarayan Shah, King, 50
private military and security companies (PMSCs), 3, 227n1
Pun, Hon Lt., 192
Pun, Rabin, 231n41
Pun, Shashikala, 235n48
Pun Tej Prakash, 73
radio station, and post-retirement community-building in Nepal, 114–17
Rai, Daya Krishna, 81
Rai, Krishna Kumar, 95
Rakamsing Rai, 29
Rawat, Radha, 232n6
Ray, Rana, 32
recruitment
into British Army, 2–3, 22–23, 56–57, 82–83, 99–101, 239n20
and clan differentiation, 229n3
in India, 185
migration and process of, 98–103
process of, 227n6
reasons for, 94
under Tripartite Agreement, 179–80
of women, 94–97, 232n6, 233nn10,13
recruitment centers, 2f , 232n1
repatriation, mandatory, 8, 10, 21, 32, 35–36, 42, 98, 177
“Report of the Technical Committee on Gurkha Veterans” (2018), 205
reputation, 92
resettlement training courses, 111
residency
and alteration of British immigration rules, 181–83
for Gurkha veterans, 235n44
and legal bracketing of Gurkha family unit, 199–204, 243n117
and legal bracketing of Gurkhas to UK, 190–94
and shifts in brackets of belonging, 194–98
under Tripartite Agreement, 179–80
for widows in United Kingdom, 236n10
See also citizenship; indefinite leave to enter or remain (ILR/E)
and community-building in Nepal, 111–21
employment following, 228n18, 237n20
political involvement following, 234n37
and shifts in brackets of belonging, 195
return migration, 8, 10–11, 18, 34–36, 122–24, 142–43, 164–65, 171–72, 173. See also repatriation, mandatory
Röttger-Rössler, Birgitt, 154
sacrifice
and legal bracketing of Gurkhas to UK, 191, 193, 194, 197–98
and parliamentary advocacy for Gurkhas, 207–9, 212–15
Safran, William, 21
school-home-community partnership, 148
Scottish Highlanders, 66
security services
denationalization of, 129
and migrant Gurkha, 110
retired Gurkhas in, 237n20
and rhetoric of warrior Gurkha, 69–75
transnational nature of, 219–20, 225
Shrestha, Hari Kumar, 71
Shrestha, Riya, 95–96, 149, 150
Sing, Umar, 231n39
Singapore
and affective spaces of belonging, 155–56
arrival of Gurkha families in, 128–29
cultural differences between Nepal and, 164–65
Everest Association’s requests to, 169–72
and feelings of sustained belonging, 153–55
and food and sense of belonging, 150–52
and Gurkha diaspora, 26–27, 46
Gurkha schools in, 237n12
language-accent miscommunication in, 146
and mandatory repatriation to Nepal, 177
widows’ pension in, 172
Singapore Gurkha Polyclinic, 112–14
Singapore Police Force (SPF)
employment with British Army versus, 7–8
Gurkha Contingent (GC), 25, 26, 46, 65, 100
Gurkha recruitment into, 25, 26
and intergenerational difference and sameness, 10
issues facing Gurkhas in, 238n7
and mandatory repatriation to Nepal, 98, 177
and narratives of warrior Gurkha, 65–66
Singh, Khushwant, 23
Sino-British Joint Declaration (1984), 156
Siu, Lok C. D., 22
Smith, Eric David, 228n20
Smith, Jacqui, 182
Soames, Mr., 186
“Soldiers, War and My Question” (Anjali), 136–37
sole male sojourner, shift in trajectory and role of, 97
split-household economies, 108–9
sports, 58
Stachowitsch, Saskia, 137
Star Ferry riots (1966), 31
Streets, Heather, 80
Struck, Bernhard, 20
successful migrant image, 88–91
Sunak, Rishi, 222
Sungei Petani Camp, 104
supertruths, 69
symbolic transnationalism, 42
Tamang, Bishnu Bahadur, 71
Technical Committee on Gurkha Veterans, 205
Teerling, Janine, 10
terms and conditions of service (TACOS), 176, 178, 180–82, 196–97
Thailand, 135
Thakurs, 55
Thapa, Kaji Amar Singh, 229n5
Thapa, Khembahadur, 64
Thapa, Nem, 211
Thapa, Tapasya, 11
Thapa Tekendra, 161
Thule, Elon, 25
tradition, and Gurkha bravery, 65
training centers/training academies, 69–71, 101–3, 102f
Tran, Thom, 46
transnational history, 18, 19, 20, 45, 48
transnationalism
and national security, 219–20, 225
symbolic, 42
as unevenly experienced, 47–48
Tripartite Agreement (TPA, 1947), 23, 24, 39, 178, 179–80, 184–85
trust, as Gurkha virtue, 64
United British Gurkha Ex-Servicemen’s Association (UBGEA), 207
United British Gurkhas Nepal (UBGN), 207
United Kingdom
Anglo-Nepal war of 1814–16, 3, 22
celebration of relations between Nepal and, 126
changes to immigration rules in, 181–83
children’s experience of migrating to, 141–42
citizenship and residency in, 85, 129–30, 232n3, 236n10
diasporic belonging in, 148–49
employment in, 143
experiences of Gurkha women in, 144–45
and fluid and contested notion of home, 125
as Gurkha home base, 181–82, 183, 197
Gurkha settlement in, 33
legal bracketing and Gurkha-UK connections, 190–94, 243n128
and legal bracketing of Gurkha family unit, 199–204
and narratives of warrior Gurkha, 60–61
parliamentary advocacy for Gurkhas in, 207–16
shifts in brackets of belonging and residency in, 194–98
Tripartite Agreement (TPA, 1947), 23, 24, 39, 178, 179–80, 184–85
and 2021 hunger strike and petition regarding pensions, 204–7
See also British Army
“War,” 68
war heroism. See sacrifice
and classification of other Nepalese groups, 53–57
and construction of martial race, 50–53
and contrasting depictions of Gurkhas, 76–81
narratives and counternarratives of, 60–69
and relations between British and Gurkhas, 57–59
widows/widows’ pension, 94, 111, 169, 172, 179, 183, 204–5, 211, 236n10
wives and children, 126–27, 128–34
and markers of belonging, 148–56
perceptions and depictions of, 236n4
and politics of belonging, 172–73
residency for, 183
women
experience of Gurkha, in United Kingdom, 144–45
and gender divisions, 136–37, 139–40, 186–87
recruitment of, 94–97, 232n6, 233nn10,13
See also marriage; widows/widows’ pension; wives and children
Wright, Sarah, 155