7GRRA Visit to India and Nepal  - June 2013

We obtained our Nepal visas from an astonishingly cheerful and amusing official with a nice side-line in money changing and were duly handed over to WO2 Manprasad Limbu for second phase of our trip.  Manprasad took us in a GWS vehicle to the AWC at Damak.  There we were welcomed by the AWO, an old friend from my BGN days then Sgt, but now Major, Gyanbahadur Limbu MVO and an even older friend from D Company the AAWO, CSgt Rambahadur Gurung. 

On 15 May approximately fifty ex-servicemen and families attended the birthday party at Damak. Carol was invited to cut a particularly good birthday cake topped by brandy snaps (or should that be raksi snaps).

Carol seemed rather under dressed for the occasion but this was soon sorted out by the ladies who helped her try on an assortment of traditional necklaces necklaces and some particularly splendid gold ear-rings the size of small saucers……..

The message from the Chairman was well received despite my ‘joke’ about the 14 hour load shedding and the use of personal computers to view the website!  But all too soon we were collected by a GWS vehicle for the short journey to the AWC at Dharan.

We were welcomed by the AWO Capt Purnaprasad Limbu and Lt Punendraprasad Limbu the new Residential Home Manager, both old friends from 7GR.  It was a real pleasure to spend time with them both and they looked after us extremely well, especially later in the month when we returned from our rather challenging trek.  Maj Dalbahadur Rai arrived soon after in order to brief us, as he had organised the birthday celebration planned for the next day, our flights to and from Kathmandu and the porters for our trek.

On 16 May we went to the birthday party in the ex-servicemen’s hall in the centre of Dharan.  Amazingly some 383 ex-servicemen and their families turned out for the event which had been superbly organised by everyone involved.  A vast shamiyana provided the shade and a local High School the excellent dancers.  Among the guests invited were Major Indrajit Rai MC 10GR and Major Tanghang Limbu QG Sigs both of whom I had served with as 2IC BGD Dharan as a Captain.  We tried to get around and chat to as many ex-servicemen as we could in such a large crowd and it was good to meet old friends such as Sgt Purnabahadur (my Belize anti-tank detachment commander) and Sgt Navinkumar (Nepal cup football player and recently returned from a civilian tour in Afghanistan).  Once again the Chairman’s message was well received, but by now I was warming to the task and my Nepali was definitely improving, even if the jokes were not.

The next day we flew to Kathmandu to be met at the airport by Maj Bhuwansing who had pulled together our entire programme and who had followed our progress by mobile phone since our arrival in India.  The Summit Hotel was a welcome oasis of quiet and quality in the man-made earthquake that the Kathmandu streets have become.  An entirely sensible road widening programme is being carried out however, less sensibly, all the demolitions required throughout the city were done first two years ago, before any reconstruction or re-surfacing work commenced. We could see it getting very interesting as the monsoon had already arrived.

On Saturday 18 May we attended the excellent Kathmandu party organised by Maj Deoman Limbu and held in the splendid Limbu Hall. Some eighty officers, ex-servicemen and their families were present and it was a real pleasure to meet Major Maniprasad Rai and Capt Kesarsing Limbu again after so many years. Again we tried to talk to as many of those present as we could (too many to mention individually) and were once more amazed at the variety of jobs outside Nepal that people have done since leaving the Brigade.