Gurkha Girl

As news surfaces that Britain is recruiting Nepali girls in its British Gurkha regiments, Dilmaya, a young girl from a rural mountain village, sees it as a life changing opportunity and devotes all her time in preparation.

I was a British Gurkha candidate in 2010, but like thousands of others, I wasn’t selected. Later, I joined a local training center as a trainer and am now helping young Nepali boys and girls who dream of joining the British Army and Nepal’s national security forces. We dedicate many years of our lives in training and preparation but only around 200 candidates from more than 20,000 candidates across Nepal make it to the British Army. Coming from a third world country like Nepal, where unemployment is high, joining the British Army is seen as a lucrative career. Thousands of young men dedicate their youth in preparation for the rigorous selection process. They drop out of college and stop looking for other jobs to focus on training. In 2017, news began surfacing that Britain would recruit Nepali girls in its army. This news led many Nepali girls, mainly from rural backgrounds, to join the training centers in preparation. I feel proud that they chose to do something in their lives instead of following their contemporaries and marrying early. It is likely that only a few of them will make the selection, or, perhaps none at all. But I am really happy and moved by their dedication. It’s ironical that joining the security forces in Nepal is considered a career opportunity, unlike in other parts of the world, where army service is mandatory. When I see them training hard, I feel content. But a part of me is sometimes skeptical and concerned about the choice they have made and whether they are on the right path.