It is Tuesday morning, one week into 2017, and former Gurkha soldier Dhundiraj Rai, 69, is on his way back from his workout routine. He looks refreshed as he enters a shopping centre at Grays, Essex. On the other side of the subway stop, an elderly man sporting a traditional Nepali Dhaka topi waits at a traffic light. Behind him, a group of equally wizened men greet each other with smiles and cries of ‘Sewaro’. Soon, a group of men secure a spot near the entrance of the shopping centre.

A short walk away, four men share their experiences in the UK as their wives flock into a local Nepali grocery store for vegetables. “I am here for my entitlement and the future of my children,” a Gurkha named Chandra Bahadur Limbu, 56, said as he explained why he had left his homeland. This is what one hears from virtually all Gurkhas in the Gurkha community in the UK. Gurkhas began arriving in the UK in 2004 when the Home Office announced a new policy allowing them and their families to settle in the country. However, the conditions are very stringent. 

Same death for unfair wages

Gurkhas have held a special place in the heart of the British people after they agreed to be recruited into the British forces in 1815. Following Indian independence in 1947, four Gurkha regiments were transferred from the Indian Army to the British Army. Gurkhas have fought gallantly in numerous conflicts, including World Wars I and II. They suffered at least 20,000 casualties in World War I alone. So far, they have been awarded 13 Victoria Crosses for bravery. However, some Gurkhas now complain that they have been unfairly treated for decades. They want their wages and perks to be reviewed in accordance with the tripartite agreement signed between Nepal, India and the UK in 1947

“In the agreement, the British government has agreed to pay us the same wages and allowances as other British army personnel,” says Dhundiraj Rai, who served in the British Army for 30 years. “But when they relocated us to Malaysia from India, they started treating us differently. They paid us only $58 while other British soldiers received over $400 per month.’

Gurkhas describe this pay scale as being discriminatory and view legal action as the only way to address their issues. In 1996, a group of retired Gurkhas launched a campaign demanding justice, taking the case to the High Court of the UK. Under mounting pressure from all sides, the British government changed the rules in 2004, allowing Gurkhas who retired after July 1, 1997 to settle in the UK. However, their children who were over 30 years of age and unmarried were ineligible to apply for a settlement visa to join their parents.

Furious campaigners demanded the same settlement rights for all Gurkhas, gaining the support of political parties, the British public and celebrities including, most notably, actress Joanna Lumley. In 2008, the British High Court ruled that the policy was illegal and that adopting 1997 as the cut-off year was arbitrary. On April 24, 2009, the British government issued a new policy allowing the same settlement rights for all Gurkhas. But the announcement left most veterans with a mixture of hope and despair: There was hope due to settlement rights in the UK, but their main demand for equal wages and pensions remained largely unaddressed. 

Age as a divider

According to Gurkha Welfare Officer Gary Ghale, there are about 58,000 people of Gurkha background in the UK. The Gurkha community is thriving in the UK. Many now own their own homes and some have started small businesses; working age Gurkhas including their wives and adult children are doing extremely well. However, some Gurkhas, particularly the elderly who cannot speak or read English, face a number of challenges. Local media once reported that they also find it difficult to integrate into other British communities for social interactions. 

In 2012, the British government established several resources through various local councils with the aim of helping Gurkhas and their families enhance English language skills and integrate into other communities. But most elderly Gurkhas and their spouses seem to be unable to take advantage of the opportunity due to their age-related illnesses, such as diabetes and heart problems; and many Gurkhas are returning to their homeland for treatment.

There have also been reports in the local media about poor living conditions of some elderly Gurkhas, as they are forced to live in cramped and ill-maintained rented houses, often sharing flats with other families. This is because, with a few exceptions, most elderly Gurkhas do not fall into the first priority of landlords as they need to pay a month’s rent as a deposit and one month’s rent to sign a new tenancy agreement, and the benefits the Gurkhas and their families receive from the government are often not enough to do that. 

Yet, most Gurkhas are optimistic about their future in the country which they once served with the greatest loyalty and bravery. They believe that the Gurkhas and the British people have developed emotional relationships through a number of stages, fighting wars side by side. Thus, the Gurkhas are now divided on their own future. In contrast to the younger generation, most elderly Gurkhas do not intend to stay in the UK. 

Dhundiraj Rai, for example, says he came to the UK for his entitlement only. He says that he has a number of social responsibilities back in his native country. He is now promoting his Bantawa language in Nepal, which he thinks is ‘very important’ for the Kirat generation. He is also a founding member of Suchcha Kalyankari Samaj in his native Bhojpur. “I am a Gurkha from Nepal,” he says. “If our equal pension issue is addressed, I am not going to stay here.” Not surprisingly, most elderly Gurkhas share this view.

Rai is a researcher associated with the South Asian Media Studies Centre, UK