Ayo Gorkhali: The True Story of the Gurkhas

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About Ayo Gorkhali: The True Story Of The Gurkhas

Product Description “Ayo Gorkhali!” – “The Gurkhas are upon you!” – is the battle cry of one of the world's most famous fighting forces. Yet the Gurkha story is not only about bravery in combat. It is also a story of tragedy. In WWI alone, 200,000 Gurkhas out of Nepal's five million people took up arms for the British cause. A further 250,000 Gurkhas fought alongside the British in WWII. In their 200-year history, the Gurkhas have served in places such as Malaya, Singapore, Borneo, East Timor, Hong Kong, Cyprus, the Falklands, Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo. Although the British Empire's reign in Asia has ended, some 3,500 Gurkhas are currently serving in the British Army in the UK. Written by a Gurkha, this book tells the Gurkhas' story from the very beginning to the present day. It deals with their history and its ramifications on the nation of Nepal. Review Gurung describes the Gurkhas as having historically been "simple and straightforward people", with a degree of loyalty that allowed little to no scope for their own agency. He hopes the book will help people, especially Nepalis themselves, better comprehend more than two centuries of the Gurkha experience. "The impact it had on our people, community and the country was huge, and people need to understand that," he says. -- Olivia Ho ― Straits Times, Singapore About the Author Tim I. Gurung joined the British Gurkhas at the age of 17, as his grandfathers and uncles had before him. He served for 13 years and retired as an army corporal. He then became a businessman in Hong Kong before making a life-changing decision to become a full-time writer on his 50th birthday. To research this book, he spent the best part of two years traveling through Nepal, Britain, Myanmar, Malaysia and Singapore.