Jennifer Cu jennifer@tyronline.com

RECRUITED from villages in Nepal by the British Army, Gurkha soldiers spent the peak of their lives doing military services overseas, growing up in foreign cultures. After a dwindling demand for their service, thousands of them retired and went back to their home country, only to be lured back to work abroad because of the difficulty in adjusting to rural life in Nepal.

“Having been away for 27 years, I feel strange when I go back to Nepal,” said Chandra Kumar Shakya, the Operations Controller for Jardine Securicor Gurkha Services. “I feel lost in my own country, and encounter problems with the society and the government system.”

“Gurkhas are more well-off coming back from the army, but Nepal is a poor and underdeveloped country,” said Shyam Gurung, the Recruiting and Training Manager of Gurkha International.

Aside from the difficulty they face in readjusting to civil life, finding a source of income is stressful as they feel that the monthly pension they receive is not enough. “One hundred per cent of those who try to do business never succeed, except if they go into fanning or tourism,” Mr Shakya said.

“We never studied business in the army,” said Mr Gurung. Other than that, corruption in the Nepalese government does not make it any easier for them. “Only a few stay in Nepal, most try to find a job overseas.”

An estimated 2,500 Gurkhas work in Hong Kong, and some have gone to Brunei and Macau to look for employment.

The duty of present-day Gurkhas in Hong Kong is a far cry from the time they used to carry out exciting missions for the British Army, as most of them end up patrolling

shopping malls, construction sites and apartment blocks.

Due to a lack of academic qualifications and inadequate language skills, their employment options are extremely limited. “In the army, we were trained to wipe out our enemies and to survive,” said Mr Gurung. “I didn’t even read the newspapers back then.”

“Only three to five per cent of Gurkhas in Hong Kong can speak (fluent) Cantonese,” Mr Shakya added. He explained that the language barrier forces Gurkhas to take on “ordinary” jobs.

Working as a security guard, bodyguard or driver is practically the only employment they may find abroad, but Gurkhas find this opportunity more appealing after getting used to an urban lifestyle.

The legendary bravery and loyalty of the Gurkhas are probably their greatest asset, and some businessmen and companies opt to hire them over local Chinese security guards even if security services companies charge a higher fee for the Gurkhas' services.

According to Mr Gurung, business tycoon Li Ka-shing has employed 24 bodyguards for himself and his family, while the American Consulate is using the services of 15 Gurkhas.

The Gurkhas’ reputation is so well known that those who have never served in the British Army also benefit from it. The minimum salary of an ex-soldier ranges from $11,000 to $11,500 while civilian Gurkhas earn $4,000 less.

“Ex-British Army soldiers are more polite and they are already used to wearing uniforms,” said Mr Gurung. “Civilian Gurkhas are more straightforward and inexperienced, and it is a financial problem to train them.”

Trained to endure harsh conditions and follow strict orders, ex-soldiers have an advantage over civilian Gurkhas when it comes to working as security guards, but the stark contrast between the rigidity of military life and a more flexible civil life proves to be a big setback.

Mr Shakya reminisced the schedule in the British Army, which gave him a lot of free time. Unexpectedly, he prefers that strict timetable, though he said he “worked like a dog” .

Some Gurkhas prefer army life because they did not have to worry about paying bills, as everything was provided. “I also earned almost double of my present salary,” said Raj Kumar, the Operations Supervisor of Jardine Securicor Gurkha Services.

In addition, the British Army granted a four to six months paid leave every three years, and Gurkha soldiers took this opportunity to marry in Nepal. Finding a wife within this period is not hard. According to Mr Gurung, about 80 per cent of Nepalis have arranged marriages.

Compared with life in the army, other Gurkhas find civil life more enjoyable. A security guard working at Pacific Club, Dhan Gurung, said that he “feels more free” even if he had to work on 12-hour shifts.

“We now have more time for friends and family,” Shyam Gurung said.

Serving in the British Army had given Gurkha soldiers a chance to glimpse the outside world, as they were sent to more sophisticated countries such as Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, Gennany and the UK. Although some feel like outsiders when they go back to their own country, a lot of ex-soldiers eventually plan to retire in the quiet villages of Nepal, even if it might mean having to take up farming.

Edited by Rivor Lau