From a very early age, many young Nepalese boys dream of joining the British Army as Gurkhas. They train for years in Nepal from childhood honing their deadly skills, before more intensive training when they join the British Army, which make them one of the most fearsome types of soldier in the British Army. Now the British Army has allowed, for the first time ever, female Gurkhas to join up. The first female Gurkhas have started their training designed to prepare recruits for the British Army entrance exams. Gurkha training is probably one of the toughest, if not THE toughest, army training on the planet which involves running three miles up steep Himalayan hills carrying 50lbs of rocks on their backs.....
First female Gurkhas start their training
Dan McDougall in Pokhara, Western Nepal, Sunday Telegraph
29/07/2007
The Telegraph
The Queen's Gurkha Engineers, part of the Brigade of Gurkhas
Two heavy rocks clasped in her outstretched hands, 19-year-old Tsiring Thapa was shaking with exhaustion. It was only 6.30am, but she and more than 50 other Nepali young women bidding to become the first female Gurkhas had already completed a five-mile run through boulder-strewn mud.
Women training for assessment to become the first female British Army Gurkhas
"Stay strong! Hold out the rocks, keep your arms out straight! Five minutes more, this pain is nothing if you want to become a soldier," a retired sergeant major barked at them.
"Are you ready to follow my orders? Are you ready to train to become a Gurkha, to become the best?" The women yelled their reply: "Yes, sir."
Long the preserve of only the fittest Nepalese males, securing one of 300 annual commissions to fight as a Gurkha in the British Army is the equivalent of winning the lottery in the Himalayan kingdom.
Now, for the first time, recruitment has been opened to Nepalese women after Derek Twigg, Britain's junior defence minister, announced that Gurkhas would in future be covered by rules on sexual discrimination in the workplace. Up to 50 places are being made available for women this year.
For Nepal's young women, many of whom are forced into early marriage by their parents, the opportunity to sign up is a dream come true. Beauticians, hotel receptionists and waitresses have ditched their jobs and flocked to the resort town of Pokhara to enrol in privately run, high-altitude fitness training programmes, designed to prepare recruits for the tough army entrance exams due next month.
More than 80 training schools have sprung up to cater for the demand.
British Army Gurkhas training with the special Kukri knives
Many of the girls sport pink laces on their running shoes, brightly coloured hair ribbons and gaudy nail varnish, but insist it is no reflection on their suitability for a regiment renowned for its toughness.
"We shouldn't be underestimated because we are women and we want to look beautiful while we train," said 17-year-old Sushma Lama.
"The men think we are weak. Most of the Gurkha training schools in this valley don't allow women but the reality is they will have to accept us. Most of the women won't make it but 50 will, so they'd better wake up to this. All the men grow up wanting to be Gurkhas. It is their only dream, so it is impossible for them to accept a woman taking their place."
As Sushma spoke, a group of men ran past and jeered. "They are uneducated idiots," she said. "They think that their strength will get them in, but their stupidity will undermine them.
"As women we are more disciplined, our English is better because we always worked harder at school, and there is a place for us in the British Army. We are right to seize the opportunity.
The successful candidates, who will be chosen from 15,106 applicants, will receive a salary of about £1,000 a month, a guaranteed 15 years of service, possible promotion and a good pension. Most importantly for the Nepalese, they will also gain a British passport.
The selection criteria are tough. Each young woman must have good marks on her school leaving certificate, and be able to perform 14 heaves to the high beam, 75 bench jumps in one minute and 70 sit-ups in two minutes. She must have no more than two fillings and two gaps in her teeth, have perfect hearing and sight, and be capable of good conversational English.
During a three-week assessment, only those recruits who are fit enough to run three miles up the steep foothills of the Himalayas, while carrying 50 lb of rocks on their backs, will be deemed worthy of joining the army.
Even then, the women are unlikely to be deployed in a combat role. Female recruits will join the Queen's Gurkha Engineers, Queen's Gurkha Signals and Queen's Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment, but will be kept out of the Royal Gurkha Rifles.
"We are happy that women get the same opportunity as men," said Capt P Manjugurung, a retired Gurkha who now trains potential recruits. "It is harder than ever to become a Gurkha because the educational bar has been raised.
"These women work as porters climbing the Himalayas. They are fit and hardy - there is no reason why they can't take their place alongside the men."
GIRLS JOIN THE GURKHA
Fearsome: This is the traditional view of the Gurkha regiments of the British Army, but for the first time in their history women will join their ranks
All photographs by Dan McDougall
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Almost 1000 young women aged between 18 and 24 have descended on the Nepali town of Pokhara to enroll in touch high-altitude fitness training programmes designed to prepare recruits for the British Army entrance exams
--------------------------
Retired Gurkha Captain Manjugurung says women deserve a chance to be Gurkhas
------------------------
To get past the selection process each young woman must be able to do 14 heaves to the high beam, 75 bench jumps in one minute and 70 sit-ups in two minutes
She must also have no more than two fillings and two gaps in her teeth, no perforated ear drums and she cannot be short-sighted or colour-blind.
-------------------------
Nesa Magar, 19, runs a beauty parlour in Pokhara
She says she is training to become a British Army Gurkha to show people anything is possible
-------------------------
Due to the absence of fitness equipment the women, like the men, train with rocks
They also have to swim in freezing mountain lakes and survive in the wilderness
----------------------------
Climbing up and down mountains is a way of life for most Nepali women
For Gurkha hopefuls it is preparation for the rigours of training
--------------------------
Sushma Lama's sister Priti is giving her financial help to train as a Gurkha
Most female candidates are helped by their already impoverished families.
telegraph.co.uk
First female Gurkhas start their training
Dan McDougall in Pokhara, Western Nepal, Sunday Telegraph
29/07/2007
The Telegraph
The Queen's Gurkha Engineers, part of the Brigade of Gurkhas
Two heavy rocks clasped in her outstretched hands, 19-year-old Tsiring Thapa was shaking with exhaustion. It was only 6.30am, but she and more than 50 other Nepali young women bidding to become the first female Gurkhas had already completed a five-mile run through boulder-strewn mud.
Women training for assessment to become the first female British Army Gurkhas
"Stay strong! Hold out the rocks, keep your arms out straight! Five minutes more, this pain is nothing if you want to become a soldier," a retired sergeant major barked at them.
"Are you ready to follow my orders? Are you ready to train to become a Gurkha, to become the best?" The women yelled their reply: "Yes, sir."
Long the preserve of only the fittest Nepalese males, securing one of 300 annual commissions to fight as a Gurkha in the British Army is the equivalent of winning the lottery in the Himalayan kingdom.
Now, for the first time, recruitment has been opened to Nepalese women after Derek Twigg, Britain's junior defence minister, announced that Gurkhas would in future be covered by rules on sexual discrimination in the workplace. Up to 50 places are being made available for women this year.
For Nepal's young women, many of whom are forced into early marriage by their parents, the opportunity to sign up is a dream come true. Beauticians, hotel receptionists and waitresses have ditched their jobs and flocked to the resort town of Pokhara to enrol in privately run, high-altitude fitness training programmes, designed to prepare recruits for the tough army entrance exams due next month.
More than 80 training schools have sprung up to cater for the demand.
British Army Gurkhas training with the special Kukri knives
Many of the girls sport pink laces on their running shoes, brightly coloured hair ribbons and gaudy nail varnish, but insist it is no reflection on their suitability for a regiment renowned for its toughness.
"We shouldn't be underestimated because we are women and we want to look beautiful while we train," said 17-year-old Sushma Lama.
"The men think we are weak. Most of the Gurkha training schools in this valley don't allow women but the reality is they will have to accept us. Most of the women won't make it but 50 will, so they'd better wake up to this. All the men grow up wanting to be Gurkhas. It is their only dream, so it is impossible for them to accept a woman taking their place."
As Sushma spoke, a group of men ran past and jeered. "They are uneducated idiots," she said. "They think that their strength will get them in, but their stupidity will undermine them.
"As women we are more disciplined, our English is better because we always worked harder at school, and there is a place for us in the British Army. We are right to seize the opportunity.
The successful candidates, who will be chosen from 15,106 applicants, will receive a salary of about £1,000 a month, a guaranteed 15 years of service, possible promotion and a good pension. Most importantly for the Nepalese, they will also gain a British passport.
The selection criteria are tough. Each young woman must have good marks on her school leaving certificate, and be able to perform 14 heaves to the high beam, 75 bench jumps in one minute and 70 sit-ups in two minutes. She must have no more than two fillings and two gaps in her teeth, have perfect hearing and sight, and be capable of good conversational English.
During a three-week assessment, only those recruits who are fit enough to run three miles up the steep foothills of the Himalayas, while carrying 50 lb of rocks on their backs, will be deemed worthy of joining the army.
Even then, the women are unlikely to be deployed in a combat role. Female recruits will join the Queen's Gurkha Engineers, Queen's Gurkha Signals and Queen's Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment, but will be kept out of the Royal Gurkha Rifles.
"We are happy that women get the same opportunity as men," said Capt P Manjugurung, a retired Gurkha who now trains potential recruits. "It is harder than ever to become a Gurkha because the educational bar has been raised.
"These women work as porters climbing the Himalayas. They are fit and hardy - there is no reason why they can't take their place alongside the men."
GIRLS JOIN THE GURKHA
Fearsome: This is the traditional view of the Gurkha regiments of the British Army, but for the first time in their history women will join their ranks
----------------------------
Almost 1000 young women aged between 18 and 24 have descended on the Nepali town of Pokhara to enroll in touch high-altitude fitness training programmes designed to prepare recruits for the British Army entrance exams
--------------------------
Retired Gurkha Captain Manjugurung says women deserve a chance to be Gurkhas
------------------------
To get past the selection process each young woman must be able to do 14 heaves to the high beam, 75 bench jumps in one minute and 70 sit-ups in two minutes
She must also have no more than two fillings and two gaps in her teeth, no perforated ear drums and she cannot be short-sighted or colour-blind.
-------------------------
Nesa Magar, 19, runs a beauty parlour in Pokhara
She says she is training to become a British Army Gurkha to show people anything is possible
-------------------------
Due to the absence of fitness equipment the women, like the men, train with rocks
They also have to swim in freezing mountain lakes and survive in the wilderness
----------------------------
Climbing up and down mountains is a way of life for most Nepali women
For Gurkha hopefuls it is preparation for the rigours of training
--------------------------
Sushma Lama's sister Priti is giving her financial help to train as a Gurkha
Most female candidates are helped by their already impoverished families.
telegraph.co.uk
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