bnsj_32.pdf - Journal

THE BRITAIN-NEPAL SOCIETY

J o u r n a l

Number 32

2008

61852 BritainNepal 32 COV:55503 BritainNepal 31 COV 20/10/11 09:00 Page 2

ACORN Nepal Trust(Aid for Children of Rural Nepal

and Educational Trust)

Charitable Society Regd. No. 701/1999

Main OfficeProf. Dr. Bharat B. KarkiBalkhu, Ring Road, Kathmandu - 14Tel: 279762, Post Box: 3046Fax: 977-1-282688

Founder PresidentU.K. ContactRtn. H.B. Karki21 Victoria Road, AldershotHampshire GU11 1TQTel/Fax: 01252 316058

PresidentRtn. Hari Bivor Karki

Vice-PresidentProf. Dr. Bharat B. Karki

SecretaryAnjela Nepal Karki

TreasurerMrs. Bimala Katuwal

Executive MembersDr. Yagya B. KarkiMrs. Shova SubediMrs. Sushila Khadka

Hon. MembersLady Morris of KenwoodRtn. Gerald HughesMr. Brian MayhewMs. Diana Reason

Dr Abhiram Bahadur Singh

PLEASE WRITE TO: The Gurkha Welfare Trust, PO Box 2170,

22 Queen Street, Salisbury SP2 2EX, telephone us on 01722 323955

or e-mail [email protected] Registered charity No. 1103669

That is why we are asking those

who do remember, to consider

making a provision now for the

time when funding and support

for Gurkha welfare will be much

harder to come by. You can do

this by a legacy or bequest to the

Gurkha Welfare Trust in your Will.

This will help to ensure the

long-term future of our work.

In just the last four years the

monthly ‘welfare pension’ we

pay to some 10,400 Gurkha

ex-servicemen and widows has

risen from 2,500 NCR to 3,800

NCR to try and keep pace

with inflation in Nepal. Welfare

pensions alone cost the Trust £4.4

million last year. Who knows what

the welfare pension will need to be

in 10 or 20 years time.

If you do write or amend your

Will to make a provision for the

Trust then do please let us know.

We hope it will be many years

before we see the benefit of your

legacy, but knowing that a

number of our supporters have

remembered the Trust in their

Wills helps so much in our

forward planning. Thank you.

61852 BritainNepal 32 COV:55503 BritainNepal 31 COV 20/10/11 09:00 Page 4


JournalNumber 32

2008

CONTENTS

5 Editorial

7 The Society’s News

9 The Nepal Trade & Tourism Fair

14 Tributes to the late Sir Edmund Hillary

18 Edward Gardner – the lost botanist of Nepal

24 The Britain Nepal Medical Trust – 40 Years

28 Letter from Far Western Region

30 An afternoon with Mercer Sahib

39 The Rhinos of Nepal at Whipsnade Zoo

42 From the Editor’s In-Tray

44 Book Reviews

51 Obituaries

54 Useful addresses

55 Notes on the Britain – Nepal Society

56 Officers and Committee of the Society

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2

Edward Gardner, the first Resident to the Court of Nepal, 1816 to 1829.


+ +

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Hillary

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4


This year, 2008, has been a momentousyear for Nepal. The much-delayedelections for the Constituent Assemblyfinally took place in April. The resultswent against what Nepal-watchers wereexpecting as Maoist supporters gainedmore seats than predicted by the‘pundits’. This was a vote for change.After considerable negotiation thecountry became a republic, signalling theend of the Shah dynasty that had ruledsince the late eighteenth century.President Ram Baran Yadav was swornin. The post of Prime Minister of theinterim administration went to PushpaKamal Dahal, aka ‘Prachanda’ (‘thefierce one’) who had been the Maoistleader during the insurrection. Themembers of the Constituent Assembly aremandated to propose a new constitution,to be followed by further elections on thebasis of such a constitution in some twoyears time. To date progress on thedrafting of the new constitution has beenslow; the two year target would seem tobe very optimistic based on previousexperience.Although the Society tries to avoid

becoming involved with politics,nevertheless the recent events have sadlyhad an impact. Our Patron, PrincessJotshana, felt that as a result of thechange from a monarchy to theestablishment of a republic in Nepal, sheshould retire from her position as Patronsince her position and status now nolonger permitted her to provide support tothe Society as in the past. As I explainedin the 2006 edition of the journal, allroyal titles had been dropped at that timeand this is the extension of that,following the recent changes. We

reluctantly accepted her decision. We didhowever feel that her six year tenure asour patron should be marked by asuitable presentation. The aim was to finda piece of silver with the London assaymark of 1816, the year of the Treaty ofSegauli that marked the end of the Anglo-Nepal War. The Society purchased a pairof excellent quality Georgian silver sauceladles of the 1816 date. These werepresented to Princess Jotshana inDecember by one of our Vice Presidents,Mrs Pat Mellor and committee memberMiss Jane Loveless on their visit toNepal. This presentation was wellreceived by Princess Jotshana and herhusband, Dr Basnyat.The journal follows the usual format

with news of the Society and its eventsand includes a note on the Nepal Trade &Tourism Fair which was put on inSeptember by the Embassy and theBritain – Nepal Chamber of Commerce.Sadly the world lost one its greatestmountaineers, Sir Edmund Hillary. SirEdmund was an honorary member and itwas through him that in the past theSociety held the annual suppers at NewZealand House. George Band has writtena tribute to him and I have been able toinclude a piece written by Mr KanakMani Dixit, editor of Himal SouthAsian,which looks at Sir Edmund’s life andachievements through South Asian eyes.The Society was represented by ourPresident, HRH The Duke of Gloucester,at the memorial service held in StGeorge’s Chapel, Windsor on 2nd Apriland at the memorial charity evening atthe Royal Geographical Society arrangedby George Band the following day. TheSociety was strongly represented by

EDITORIAL

5


officers and members on both occasions.The Britain – Nepal Medical Trust

celebrates its fortieth year and a review isprovided by Dr Gillian Holdsworth. DrMark Watson from the Royal BotanicGardens, Edinburgh has written aboutEdward Gardner, an early Resident inKathmandu and his little knowncontribution to botany in Nepal. MarkTemple submitted a piece about hismeeting and discussions with Lt ColAndrew Mercer in Darjeeling to whichthe editor added his own experience ofsome years before – a vignette of‘staying on’ after the end of the Britishraj. Rick Beven has written about the farwest of Nepal, an area often neglected,and Veronica Watkins of the ZoologicalSociety of London has updated us on theNepal rhinos at Whipsnade. I must alsorecommend the book review section.Over the last two years members have

been busy – I had no idea there was somuch literary talent in the Society. Fiveof the books reviewed were written bymembers. As always I am grateful to thecontributors and reviewers without whomthere would be no journal. I take thisopportunity to remind members that it ishoped to produce a separate publicationto mark the Society’s golden jubilee in2010. This will take the form of a briefoutline history of the Society with adigest of some of the particularly relevantolder articles that have appeared over theyears with, I hope, some new work. Ifmembers have any ideas or interestingpieces for consideration for possibleinclusion, please contact the editor. Dueto the work and costs involved, the nexttwo issues of the journal may thereforebe thinner volumes.

6

THE GURKHA MUSEUMPENINSULA BARRACKS

ROMSEY ROAD, WINCHESTERHAMPSHIRE SO23 8TS

Tel: (01962) 842832 Fax: (01962) 877597

THE UNIQUE AND EXCITING GURKHA STORY

Open: MON-SAT 10am - 4.30pmSUN 12 - 4pm

Registered Charity No. 272426


7

THE SOCIETY’S NEWSBy Dr Neil Weir

After the 2007 AGM we had the pleasureof welcoming the new NepaleseAmbassador HE Mr Murari Raj Sharma.This is my last report as HonorarySecretary. I have had the privilege ofserving on the committee for five years,four of which have been as HonorarySecretary. I would like to thank my wife,Sue Weir, who has ably assisted me sinceDaphne Field retired in June 2007. PatMellor has always been ready to helpparticularly on membership matters andour Chairman, Lt Col Gerry Birch hasbeen a valuable source of guidance.

PATRONWith the change in status of Nepal inMay 2008 from that of a monarchy to afederal republic, Princess Jotshana, feltthat she should now stand down as theSociety’s Patron. The Society is gratefulto her for the interest she showedthroughout her period as Patron over thelast six years. Both we and she will holdfond memories of her time in Londonand she wishes to keep in touch with usboth as a society and as individuals.

LECTURESThe venue of the Medical Society ofLondon has continued to be a successand two of the meetings were followedby a Nepali supper provided by theMunal Restaurant. As will be seen fromthe accounts there has been a larger lossthis year on events. Part of the reason forthis is the smaller attendances at some ofthe talks. Twenty people will not coverthe cost of room hire, even at £5.00 perhead with at least two glasses of wine!For any event to be successful financiallyat least 35-40 people need to attend to

cover the fixed charges of room hire.The attendance increases if the talk isfollowed by a Nepali supper.The lectures given were:30 January 2008: Sue Carpenter: MyWorld, My View: TeachingPhotography to Disadvantaged Girls inNepal.6 March: Mr Ramesh Dhungal: TheBritish Resident, Brian Hodgson andhis Manuscripts from Nepal21 May: Sarah Lowry, Helen Giles andNaori Priestly: Design and Productionof Allo (nettle) material and garmentsby villagers in Eastern Nepal.Followed by a Nepali Supper.18 October: Professor David Howard:The Mount Everest Laboratory.Followed by a Nepali Supper.

We are grateful to all the speakers fortheir time, enthusiasm and excellentillustrations. As is the custom we shalllook forward to receiving them as ourguests at the Annual Nepali Supper on 19February 2009.

ANNUAL NEPALI SUPPERThe supper was attended by 142members and guests, was held on 21February at St Columba’s Church ofScotland Hall in Pont Street. TheChairman spoke.

SUMMER OUTINGIt was decided by the committee not tohold a summer outing this year. A visitto the Gurkha Museum, Winchester isplanned for 4 July 2009.


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NEPAL TRADE & TOURISM FAIR21-22 SEPTEMBER 2008This exciting event was held at theLimkokwing University, 106 Piccadilly,London. The objective was to strengtheneconomic ties between Nepal and GreatBritain by attracting British privateinvestment and British tourists to Nepal.There were stands covering tourism, artsand crafts industries, and beerproduction. The two day event waspunctuated with fashion and culturalshows. The Society shared a stall withthe Britain – Nepal Chamber ofCommerce and attracted new members tothe Society.

FUTURE EVENTSTalks: The dates for the 2009 talks, all ofwhich will be held at the Medical Societyof London, 11 Chandos Street are to beheld on:Wednesday 28 January 2009: Lt ColGerry Birch: 1948 US ZoologicalExpedition to Nepal.The Annual Supper 19 FebruaryThursday 12 March: John Pemble:‘Back to the Himalayan Foothills:Looking again at the British Invasionof Nepal’John Pemble’s The Invasion ofNepal first appeared in 1971. A new,revised edition, with a foreword byJohn Cross, has just been publishedunder the title Britain’s Gurkha War:The Invasion of Nepal, 1814-16)This talk is related to the book. Therewill be a chance to buy or at leasthave a look at the book at the meeting.

Additional meeting Thursday 26March: HE Dr AR Hall: ‘An updateon the current situation.’Location: Canning House,2 Belgrave Square.Summer Outing: 4 July 2009:The Gurkha Museum, with lunchThursday 15 October: George Band:UK Himalayan Trust

WEBSITEwww.britain-nepal-society.org.ukWe are grateful to Mr Derek Marsh ofCrystal Consultants (UK) for hisassistance with the website. The Societyideally needs a keen enthusiasticwebmaster to keep Mr Marsh informedof events and linkages with otherorganizations interested in Nepal.

DEATHSIt is with sadness that we report the deathduring 2007/08 of the followingmembers:Mr Hugh Broad.Sir Edmund Hillary KG ONZ KBEBridget Kellas, wife of the late Arthur

Kellas, died in Inverockle in August2008, only some 18 months after Arthur’sdeath. Arthur Kellas followed Lord Huntas the Society’s President between 1975and 1979; his obituary was listed in the2007 edition of the journal.Mr TJ O’Brien CMG MC -

Ambassador, Kathmandu 1970 - 74Lt Col JA Lys OBE MC - Defence

Attaché, Kathmandu 1972 - 75


THE NEPAL TRADE & TOURISM FAIR 21 & 22 SEPTEMBERBy Anthony Wieler

(This is an edited version of an articlethat was written for ‘The SagarmathaTimes’. Ed.)A large number of people came to 106

Piccadilly in London, where theLimkokwing University had provided amagnificent venue for the first “TradeFair” to be sponsored by the Embassy ofNepal in London. For the first time theAmbassador from Nepal was putting theemphasis on Trade and Investment…”thedevelopment of Trade rather thandependence on Aid”…and several keyrepresentatives of the businesscommunity in Nepal came over to showthat they were keen to work with the newgovernment to develop the great potentialsuch as the hydro-energy and resourcesof Nepal such as higher valuehorticulture, tourism, manufacturing,man-power and many other aspects andsectors.The delegates from Nepal were

introduced to representatives of theBritish Chambers of Commerce, theLondon Chamber of Commerce, UKTrade & Investment, the Crown Agents,and the Britain-Nepal Chamber ofCommerce, and they met the chief ofstaff of the Hinduja Group, and Lord Paulof the Caparo Group, who promised toconsider projects to help Nepal.Rajendra Khetan, a past president of

the Nepal - Britain Chamber ofCommerce and member of theConstituent Assembly, with extensivebusiness interests in Nepal, spokeconfidently about the opportunities forprofitable business and promised toencourage the Federation of NepaliChambers of Commerce & Industry tofollow up the initiatives discussed at the

Fair with the representatives of theForeign & Commonwealth Office and theBritish Chambers of Commerce.Radhesh Pant, President of the Nepal

Bankers’Association was backed by keyfinanciers from Nepal, including PrithiviPande, chairman of the Nepal InvestmentBank, telling their audience about thevast Nepal Infrastructure Fund being puttogether by International FinanceCorporation (World Bank), the AsianDevelopment Bank (ADB), and manyother leading institutions, to develop anadditional 10,000 KW from hydro-energyand other sources, and to build new roads(and rail) to strengthen Nepal’sinfrastructure.The Honourable Mrs Hishila Yami,

The Minister for Tourism and CivilAviation for Nepal, was the guest ofhonour, backed by the CEO of the NepalTourist Board. Mrs Yami spoke with greatoptimism about the expansion of thetourist trade, and as she is married to theFinance Minister, the HonourableBaburam Bhattarai, the people whom shemet took great notice of her confidentendorsement of his expression of interestand the importance he has given to thedevelopment of commerce and trade.The Prime Ministers of both Nepal and

Britain sent written messages to the Fair,and Shahid Malik, Minister at DFID, senta recorded message from the LabourParty Conference, showing a good graspof the potential opportunities in Nepal.The Britain-Nepal Chamber of

Commerce is following up thesepromises and proposals, with a series ofmonthly meetings on a wide variety ofsubjects. On 1st October, Veedon Fleecesponsored a well-attended gathering at

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the Embassy of Nepal, at which leadingdesigners and experts in “Interior Decor”learnt about the high quality bespokecarpets being woven in Kathmandu.Ashoke Rana, CEO of the HimalayaBank, was one of the BNCC members atthis meeting and there were goodopportunities for networking amongst allthe businessmen there, stimulated andinspired by the champagne and winesprovided by Veedon Fleece.

On 12th November, BNCC held a“Showcase” on Tourism to Nepal andinvited the travel agents attending theWorld Travel Market to focus on Nepal.BNCC are planning further meetings andseminars on topics such as hydro-energyand higher value horticulture in thesucceeding months. Plans are alreadybeing outlined for a second fair for 2009.

SOCIETY TIES SCARVES AND LAPEL BADGES

Mr David Jefford kindly looks after the sale of the Society ties and scarves whichcost £10.00 each including postage. They are available from him at: 20 Longmead,

Fleet, Hampshire GU52 7TR or at the AGM or one of our major functions.

Miss Jane Loveless has supervised the production of a very attractive lapel badgewhich is available for sale for £3.00 at the AGM and other major functions.

TANDOORIANDCURRYRESTAURANT(Fully Air Conditioned)

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Mrs Celia Brown has agreed to take onthe task of collecting archival materialand in obtaining where possible, briefmemoirs. She would like to hear fromanyone who may wish to contribute.However, in the first instance she wouldappreciate it if members could let herknow what they have available. Theeditor of the journal and the committeeare planning to produce a short history of

the Society over the period 1960 to 2010to commemorate the Society’s fiftiethanniversary in 2010. Archival materialwill play an important part in theproduction of this publication.

Her address is: 1 Allen Mansions, AllenStreet, London W8 6UY andemail:[email protected]

THE ARCHIVIST

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14

I first met Ed Hillary in the garden of theBritish Embassy in Kathmandu in March1953 as we assembled for the EverestExpedition. He, and his fellow NewZealand climber George Lowe, were bothtall, lean and lanky six-footers, and Icould see they were men ofdetermination. Our leader, John Hunt,also meeting them for the first time, laterdescribed Ed Hillary: “..as exceptionallystrong and abounding in a restless energy,possessed of a thrusting mind whichswept aside all unproved obstacles”.During the delightful 300 km walk to

Everest through the Himalayan foothills,Ed would be among the first to enjoy aquick swim before breakfast in one of theicy streams. During those 17 days, we gotto know each other, swopping storiesabout the climbs we had done. How Edhad learnt his craft from the great guideHarry Ayres on New Zealand’smagnificent ice climbs, and then teamedup with George Lowe and others to makefirst ascents on Mount Cook and Elie deBeaumont. Ed had been on threeHimalayan Expeditions in the previoustwo years, so was very fit, and a strongcandidate for one of the two plannedassaults on the summit.Hunt chose four of us, Ed, George

Lowe, Mike Westmacott and me to find asafe route up the treacherous KhumbuIcefall. It took five days and called for allour ice-climbing skills. Back at the BaseCamp we soon learnt to adopt whatbecame known as the ‘Everest Position’:lying flat out on your sleeping bag whilewaiting for a mug of hot tea! Nowadays,with so many expeditions on themountain, the task of making the route

through the Icefall is contracted out tothe Sherpas. How lucky we were to havethe mountain entirely to ourselves!We were chosen by Hunt as a team of

ten climbers, each potentially able to goto the top, plus Tenzing who had alreadybeen on five expeditions to Everest, andhigher than any of us the previous yearwith the Swiss. Hillary thought Huntwould not want the two New Zealanderstogether, so he made good friends withTenzing and they made a strong pair.Each recognised the other’sdetermination. Hunt wrote that they were“outstanding at the time, climbing fasterand more strongly than any of us”. Wealways hoped one of the best Sherpasmight have a chance for the summit, torecognise their huge contribution to theexpedition.In the event, John Hunt chose Charles

Evans, his deputy, and Tom Bourdillon,the expert on the closed-circuit oxygenequipment, as the first pair; Hillary andTenzing as the second, with the rest of usallocated equally essential tasks in thebuild-up for the assault. Think of GeorgeLowe spending ten days above 7,000mwithout oxygen, cutting steps and fixingropes up the icy Lhotse Face. The rest ishistory. Evans and Bourdillon climbedhigher than man had ever been before inreaching the south peak, but it wasHillary and Tenzing who made thesuccessful summit “touch down” onbehalf of the team. It was a privilege justto be part of it.Now Ed has left us, dying of a heart

attack on 11th January 2008 in Auckland,at the age of 88. We offer our deepsympathy to Lady June and members of

TRIBUTES TO THE LATE SIR EDMUND HILLARY KG ONZ KBEMemories of Ed: A Mountaineer’s Farewell

By George Band OBE


15

the extended Hillary family. He wasaccorded a State Funeral by the NewZealand Government who mostgenerously invited us surviving Everest1953 climbers as official guests: Gregory,Lowe, Westmacott and myself, plus JanMorris, who as James Morris, the Timescorrespondent, made the scoop of his lifein time for the Coronation, therebyimmortalising the names of Hillary andTenzing.We all know how Ed went on

climbing, exploring and driving a tractorto the South Pole. But he also created andraised money for his Himalayan Trust toimprove the lives of the Sherpas and hillpeople of Nepal. Over the next 40 yearshe helped to build 26 schools, 2 hospitalsand 13 medical clinics. As Chairman ofThe Himalayan Trust UK, I have pledgedcontinued support to this humanitarianwork which continues to this day. Evenmore than Everest, he would like it to bea perpetual memorial to his life andachievements.

The Gentle Adventurers -By Kanak Mani Dixit

To say that someone is a ‘Southasian’ inHimal’s lexicon is a compliment of thehighest order. And that is not intended toimply any racial or regional chauvinism –it’s just an idea that the values ofSouthasian-ness, beyond nation-statism,imply confidence, competence,commitment, empathy and an evolvedability for self-deprecation.Edmund Hillary, who died on 11th

January 2008, was a Southasian. Ofcourse, he became nominally aSouthasian when he was grantedhonorary Nepali citizenship in 2003. Buthe was a Southasian well before that dueto his seeking to understand the

Himalaya and its people, due to hiscoming forth to help without fanfare andwithout seeking applause. Indeed, helater said that his proudestaccomplishment had not been climbingEverest (“We knocked the bastard off”),but rather what he did to help the Sherpacommunity in his decades after theascent.Sir Ed was a gentle adventurer, who

used humour to cover his sense of uneasewith having achieved international fame.Once, when challenged about whetherGeoge Leigh Mallory and Andrew Irvinemight actually have reached the summitbefore him and Tenzing Norgay, backduring a 1924 expedition, Sir Edmundreplied in words to the effect that, “Well,you also have to come back down alive.”Sir Ed’s personality came through in

an interview that I conducted for Himal’svery first issue in July 1988. (The ‘zero’or prototype issue had come out in May1987.) At that time, and till 1996, Himalwas a Himalayan magazine and so theissues discussed were all about themountain people and the mountainenvironment. Here are some excerptsfrom Sir Ed’s responses to my questions:• There is immense ecological

degradation across the mountains.The Chipko experience is good,and seems to have worked in itsspecific region; but maybeeverywhere area has to develop itsown techniques.

• Not by any means are peopleconservationists by nature. Theyhave to live from day to day andlife is hard.

• It is no good saying, “We want thisenvironment unchanged for thenext hundred years.” The hill

people live very much in thepresent.• In the hill areas, I would rather see


16

slow and steady progress. As mySherpa friend, Mingma Tsering,says,” Slowly slowly is better.”

• The idea of tourism is good, butone has to consider the pressure onthe environment and the localculture. There has to be somediscipline and control, but theyoung and impecunious must notloose their access. So what isrequired is balance in control. Thebig mountains of the Himalayashould not be the sole preserve ofhotshot alpinists. That is anarrogant view. Mountaineeringshould be for everyone who isreasonably competent.

• I say let the mountain [Everest]alone for five years. They shouldclose the peak and then start allover again in a controlled manner.

Not surprisingly, the departure of SirEdmund was also a time to rememberTenzing Norgay, a true mountaineeramong the myriad Himalayan ‘tigers’ whohelped the sahibs attain the Himalayansummits. They were quite a duo, Hillaryand Tenzing, each a notable personality inhis own right. In his writings, Tenzingcomes across as an extraordinary person,sensitive and intellectual.When the Everest team arrived back in

Kathmandu after the successful climb, inJune 1953, the reception was all about theglory that Tenzing had brought to Nepal.In sharp contrast to the fame with whichHillary was showered for the rest of hislife, in Kathmandu at that time the glorywas reserved for Tenzing. With Nepalhaving just entered the modern era, therewas a need to pump up the mountain hero– to anoint him a ‘Sherpa’ and layexclusive claim to the successful climb. Invictory laps around Kathmandu atop ajeep, it was Tenzing rather than Hillarywho was lionised. The bard Dharma Raj

Thapa sang of how Tenzing had ledHillary to the summit. But Sir Ed kept thepromise of not revealing who had actuallyfirst stepped on the summit till long afterTenzing died in 1986. It was he, the lankyNew Zealander, who had done so.Tenzing was a Tibetan by birth, born in

the Kharta Valley east of Everest. Hegrew up in the Khumbu, in Nepal’sSherpa heartland, before moving toDarjeeling to seek climbing jobs. Hemade it up the South Col of Everest in1952 with Charles Lambert, withinstriking distance of the summit. Hereturned the next year with Hillary as partof Lord John Hunt’s expedition.Here is how in July 1988, Hillary

described Tenzing, who had moved ontwo years earlier:“In 1953, when we climbed Everest,

we were friendly and worked together,but you would not have said that we hada warm relationship. In the last ten years,we were really very close. We were ableto communicate better and we talkedphilosophy, for he was quite aphilosopher. Buddhism was veryimportant to Tenzing and he had a gompaon the top floor of his house. He wasvery concerned for the education of hischildren. He had very little to do with theSherpas of Khumbu. The way of life ofthe Darjeeling and the Khumbu Sherpasare very different.”

Rest in peace, Hillary and Tenzing –Southasians both.

(This article appeared in the February2008 edition of Himal Southasian. I amgrateful to Mr Kanak Mani Dixit, editorof Himal Southasian, for permission topublish this in the Society’s journal. Ed.)


17

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“That’s really exciting” said ChristopherFraser-Jenkins when I showed him aphotograph of Edward Gardner. “If thatis Gardner then this is the first likenessthat botanists know of and it is reallyimportant!”. The Honourable EdwardGardner, was the first permanent BritishResident in Nepal in 1816, and I hadspotted his portrait in the gallery of pastincumbents outside the Ambassador’soffice in Kathmandu. Having just readChris’s book, The First BotanicalCollectors in Nepal, I remembered hiscomments about Gardner, and asked theAmbassador if I could have aphotograph of the portrait. Dr AndrewHall kindly agreed and arranged for thepicture to be taken from the frame andreproduced (see the frontis pieceillustration). Although we cannot beabsolutely sure that this is EdwardGardner, the family resemblance isstrong and I think it is well worthreproducing it and recounting his storyas the ‘Lost Botanist of Nepal’. Chrishas recently pieced together the earlyyears of botanical research in Nepalusing correspondence he uncovered inthe library of the Calcutta BotanicGarden. This article draws heavily fromhis book (Fraser-Jenkins, 2006).Botanical exploration began in Nepal

when Francis Buchanan made the firstscientific plant collections duringCaptain William H.D. Knox’s mission toKathmandu, between April 1802 andApril 1803. Buchanan (1762-1829) wasa Scottish surgeon and keen naturalistwho was taught botany at the end of the18th century by John Hope at the RoyalBotanic Garden Edinburgh. He spent arather melancholy year in Kathmandu,

alienated and contained within theValley by the Nepalese officials.However, he used his time profitably,and amassing 1500-2000 pressed anddried herbarium specimens of plantswhich he gave to Sir James EdwardSmith and Aylmer Bourke Lambert onhis return to London in 1805. In laterlife Buchanan changed his name toHamilton to inherit his mother’s estates,but in botanical circles he is usuallyknown as Francis Buchanan-Hamilton.Next in the saga is Nathaniel Wallich

(1786-1854), a Danish surgeon-naturalist who worked for the BritishEast India Company as Superintendentof the Calcutta Botanic Garden from1817. Wallich was charged withexploring India’s plant wealth with aneye to potential exploitation. Namingand cataloguing is the necessary firststep in botanical understanding andWallich eagerly set about amassing andcollating a huge herbarium collection forthe East India Company. As well as theherbarium specimens he and his owncollectors gathered, he organised a widenetwork of people to send him plantsfrom all corners of the empire.Amongst the first bundles of

specimens Wallich sent back to theBritain was material collected in Nepalbetween 1817 and 1820. At the timeDavid Don was working on theBuchanan-Hamilton collections, and heextended his research to include thesenew Nepalese specimens sent byWallich. Soon afterwards Don publishedhis ground-breaking Prodromus FloraeNepalensis (1825), literally ‘Forerunnerto the Flora of Nepal’, the firstsystematic account of the plants of

EDWARD GARDNER - THE LOST BOTANIST OF NEPALBy Dr Mark Watson


Nepal. As the Nepalese specimensWallich sent back bore no collector’sname, Don and later botanists ascribedthem to Wallich himself. However,Wallich only visited Nepal once betweenDecember 1820 and November 1821,and the specimens he himself collectedwere not sent to London until 1828.These early specimens worked on byDon could not have been collected byWallich, so who did?Edward Gardner (1784-1861) was the

mystery collector, and how he becamethe ‘Lost Botanist of Nepal’ is anintriguing story. Gardner was born into adistinguished family, fifth son of theAdmiral of the Blue, Sir Alan Gardner,the 1st Baron Gardner of Uttoxeter,England, and Commander of HisMajesty’s ships in Jamaica. At the age of18 Edward Gardner went to India towork for the East India Company, firstas Writer and later becoming Registrarand Assistant Magistrate at Aligarh. Hisdiplomatic skills were quicklyrecognised, and in 1808 he waspromoted to Assistant Resident at Delhi,and then Acting Judge and Magistrate atMoradabad in 1813. At the outbreak ofthe Gorkha War in 1814 Gardner wastransferred to Kumaon as Commissionerand Political Agent to the Governor-General of Bengal, Francis, Earl ofMoira (later 1st Marquess of Hastings).Also in the British forces in Kumaon atthat time was his first cousin, Lt ColWilliam Linnaeus Gardner (with whomEdward is sometimes confused), amilitary tour de force and pivotal playerin the Gorkha War. Again EdwardGardner’s diplomatic skills came to thefore, and he played a crucial role inbringing Nepal into treaty relations withthe British in India. So impressed wasthe Marquess, that on the signing of the

Treaty of Segauli with the Gorkhas inMarch 1816, he selected the relativelyjunior Gardner to represent Britishinterests as Resident (or HonoraryConsul) to the court of the Rajah inKathmandu.Before Gardner arrived in Kathmandu,

his position was held by ActingResident, Lt John Peter Boileau, also inaction in Kumaon in 1814-15. Boileaureached Kathmandu in April 1816, asCommandant of the Resident’s Escortand Postmaster to the Residency.Gardner arrived in Kathmandu threemonths later and remained as Residentfor 14 years until 1829 (apart from a fewmonths away on postings in India). Hismain task was to change the hostilerelations with the Nepalese into one offriendship, or at least gain stability withmutual respect. This was very difficult inthe post war era of hostility andmistrust, but Gardner was a highlyskilled and even tempered diplomat.With his deep understanding and strongliking of the people of Nepal, he was theperfect person for the job and against theodds he largely succeeded. During theGorkha War the British had beenimpressed by the fighting skills of theiropponents and Edward Gardner and hiscousin W.L. Gardner pioneered the firstrecruitment of defecting Gorkhalis andKumaonis into the British East IndiaCompany’s army as Gorkha Battalions.This Gorkha recruitment was formalisedafter 1825 and later strengthened byB.H. Hodgson during his Residency; atradition that continues to this day.Edward Gardner was evidently quite a

character and enthusiastically immersedhimself in local customs and culture.Lady Maria Nugent met him during hervisit to Delhi in the early 1810s, andwrote that the Resident, Sir David

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Ochterlony and particularly his twoAssistants Edward Gardener andWilliam Fraser, had ‘gone native’,“…wearing immense whiskers, neitherwill eat beef and pork, being as muchHindoos as Christians, if not more; theyare both of them clever and intelligent,but eccentric; and having come to thiscountry early, they have formed opinionsand prejudices that make them almostnatives.”(Dalrymple 2002: 53). Gardnerwould have been in his late twenties orearly thirties when he met Lady Nugent,and as he looks much younger in hisportrait, this was probably made beforehe adopted these Indian habits, perhapswhilst on home leave in the Britain.As for Knox’s mission 14 years

earlier, the Residency was deliberatelykept isolated by the Nepalese, both indiplomatic relations and by physicaldistance. The Residency was sited on theedge of Kathmandu and Nepalesesoldiers were stationed between theResidency and the city to intercept allmessages and arrest their bearers. Allunofficial contact between the Nepaleseand the Residency was strictlyprohibited, as was any contact betweenthe Residency and British traders toKathmandu. Life for the Residency staffwas slow and tedious, andcommunications via the diplomatic bagmust have been a welcome escape.Wallich took up his position in Calcuttaless than a year after Gardner’s arrival inKathmandu, and they soon struck up aprolific correspondence. Fortunately atleast some of Gardner’s letters toWallich survive in the CalcuttaHerbarium, and they tell of thehardships and constraints endured byGardner and his men, and the longunproductive periods of waiting. It wasduring this copious spare time that,

encouraged by Wallich, Gardnerdeveloped his new interest in botany andhe started to collect plants. In 1817Gardner sent Wallich his first batch ofspecimens, and larger batches followedin 1818 and 1819. Gardner detailed hismost interesting finds in his numerousletters to Wallich. He wrote at least oncea week for the six year period from 1817to 1823, and at one stage was writing upto five or six letters per week. Gardnercontinued occasional correspondencewith Wallich long after his retirementuntil his death in 1861.With the help of his Assistant

Resident, Robert Stuart, Gardnerdirected a small team of assistantscollecting plant material and preparingherbarium specimens to send back toWallich. At the start Gardner must havefelt daunted by the sheer numbers ofplants available and the inexperience ofhis team, and so he requested help fromhis mentor in Calcutta. Wallich agreedand generously sent two of his owncollectors to Nepal in 1817. ThusFrancis de Silva and Bharat Singh joinedthe Residency team for a year to helpwith the collections. Movements of theBritish staff were tightly restricted towithin the Kathmandu Valley, but deSilva and Singh were able to make atleast one visit outside the Valley. In1818 they journeyed north throughHelambu towards Langtang, visitingDhunche and the ranges of Gossainthan(‘Gossain Than’). At the time this wasbotanically virgin territory, and Wallichwrote enthusiastically to hiscontemporaries, saying that Gardner hadsent him nearly 1000 specimenscollected from the snowy mountains ofthe Himalaya. Gardner continuedcollecting and sending Wallich manyenticing plants, and in 1820 Wallich

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accepted Gardner’s invitation and joinedthe Residency team in Kathmandubetween December 1820 and November1821. Apart from a few glimpsesthrough correspondence alreadyuncovered, much of Gardner’s botanicalexcursions remain a mystery. Libraryindices to correspondence held inCalcutta record that many more lettersexist between Gardner and Wallich thanhave so far been found, and this is anarea ripe for research.Robert Stuart also corresponded with

Wallich, but unfortunately diedprematurely in Kathmandu in March1820. He caught a fever whilst travellingthrough the malaria infested Terai inorder to accompany Wallich on his visitto Kathmandu. Stuart is commemoratedby a tall funeral monument which stillstands in the British Embassy graveyard

at Samakoshi. Stuart was succeeded asAssistant Resident by a man ofexceptional talent, Brian HoughtonHodgson (1799-1894). An astutediplomat and keen naturalist, Hodgsonpioneered the study of animals and birdsin Nepal and is today recognised as thefounder of Himalayan zoology. Hodgsonhoned his diplomatic skills underGardner’s expert guidance, held the fortas Acting Resident in 1829 afterGardner’s departure, and returned for adistinguished career as Resident from1833 until 1843.Although not a trained botanist,

Gardner became a passionate plantcollector and knowledgeable amateur. Hesent Wallich numerous packages ofherbarium specimens as well as manyliving plants. Gardner also created agarden in the Residency grounds, wherehe planted garden-worthy native treesand shrubs, and from which some of thematerial sent to Wallich was obtained(labelled as ‘in hort.’). The gardenappears to have survived to this day,although the old Residency grounds arenow divided between the British andIndian Embassies. Gardner’s enthusiasmfor botany, and the many plantcollections that he made, have beencommemorated by botanists who laterdescribed plants in his honour. Wallichdedicated a new genus Gardneria to “theHon. Edward Gardner, late Resident atthe Court of the Rajah of Nepala, bywhose indefatigable exertions &liberality the Botanic Garden at Calcuttahas been enriched by the most splendidadditions of flowering plants, trees, andspecimens of the interesting & hithertomostly unknown vegetable productionsof that country.” Other plants that arenamed in his honour include: Coelogynegardneriana (now Neogyne

Memorial to Robert Stuart, AssistantResident


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gardneriana), an epiphytic orchid,Daphne gardneri (now Edgeworthiagardneri), a source for Nepalesehandmade paper, and Hedychiumgardnerianum, a tall flowering ginger.Gardner also collected mosses which hesent to Sir William J. Hooker, and a fewof these bear his name. Stereodongardneri was unfortunately incorrectlypublished by W. Mitten, and shouldinstead be called Entodon myurus, butthe tropical epiphytic moss Calymperesgardneri (now Syrrhopodon gardneri)still bears his name.However, apart from Wallich and a

few contemporaries, Gardner’s prolificcollections and his pioneeringcontribution to Himalayan botany arelargely unknown to modern botanists.This is largely due to Wallich’s practiceof seldom writing the names of thecollectors on the specimens he wascollating in his huge East India

Company herbarium. Instead manymodern workers refer only to Wallichhimself as if he were the collector, andso miss the great contribution toNepalese and Himalayan botany ofEdward Gardner and his team inKathmandu: the second botanist thereafter Francis (Buchanan-)Hamilton.

ReferencesDalrymple, W. (2002). White Mughals:love and betrayal in the Eighteenth-Century India. Viking, London.

Fraser-Jenkins, C.R. (2006). The FirstBotanical Collectors in Nepal: the ferncollections of Hamilton, Gardner andWallich. Bishen Singh Mahendra PalSingh; Dehra Dun.


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THE BRITAIN NEPAL MEDICAL TRUST – 40YEARSBy Dr Gillian Holdsworth

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Many of you will have connections withthe Britain Nepal Medical Trust from itsearly days – and in 2008 BNMT willhave been serving the people of Nepal forforty years. This article provides anupdate on some of BNMT’s majorachievements over the years and itsfuture plans – as well as touching brieflyon Gillian Holdsworth’s Trans-Himalayatrek from Simikot, Humla to OlangchungGola in Taplejung in the autumn of 2007as part of the forty year celebrations.

The Britain Nepal Medical Trust aims toassist the people of Nepal to improvetheir health through realisation of theirhealth rights. It does this by working inpartnership with the Ministry of Health,international and local non-governmentalorganisations, local committees andcommunities to:• Strengthen the capacity of local

institutions to respond to the healthneeds of the poorest and mostdisadvantaged members of society– with effective preventative andcurative health services.

• Work with communities enablingthem to express their needs betterand advocate for and obtainimproved and equitable access toessential health services andresources.

• Validate models that provideaffordable and accessible qualityhealth care services that can bereplicated and adapted by others.

• Develop methods which will ensurethe sustainability of outcomes aftercompleting handover of successfulprogrammes to local institutions.

Traditionally known best for its ground

breaking work in tuberculosis,particularly in the treatment and ensuringpatient compliance with the often verylong treatment regime, BNMT had one ofthe highest tuberculosis cure rates in adeveloping country. The Trust was alsoinstrumental in undertaking much of theoperational research which led the NepalNational Tuberculosis Programme toadopt directly observed therapy (a muchshorter drug regime for the treatment oftuberculosis at six months) as thenational strategy in its fight against TB.BNMT no longer provides direct care asit used to, but works very closely with theNational TB Programme, supporting thegovernment health services to providequality and equitable services throughsupport for staff training, monitoring andevaluation of the programme to ensurethat high levels of care are maintainedand quality assurance of microscopy inthe laboratories.Similarly, BNMT has, with continued

support and guidance, managed tohandover many of its community drugschemes to a local organisation namedSARHDON. The BNMT drug schemes,which were designed to plug a gap ingovernment health programme medical

Some mothers planting rice.


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supplies, continue to ensure a ‘year roundsupply of medicines at an affordableprice’ at rural health posts and districthospitals throughout the eastern region.This is an excellent example of howBNMT has developed a service inresponse to a need, established agroundbreaking programme, and trainedlocal Nepali staff and members of thecommunity to manage it themselvesbefore handing it over to a localorganisation. This is real development!Over the last few years the focus on

health rights is a significant developmentin BNMT’s approach to support thegovernment of Nepal in achieving theMillenium Development Goals (MDGs).The MDGs encompass a covenant agreedand committed to by every country of theUnited Nations and set the global standardfor social and economic justice andhuman rights. The rights-based approachreinforces the linkage between supply anddemand of essential health services, ie byensuring that users understand theirentitlements in terms of access and equity,they are better placed to drive anappropriate response by services.BNMT, as part of its comprehensive

Health Improvement Programme, has formany years worked toward increasinghealth service utilisation and improvingthe health status of disadvantagedcommunities in a number of importantand challenging health areas whichinclude:• Treatment and prevention of

infectious diseases – Kala Azar,Japanese B encephalitis, etc.

• Reproductive health and safemotherhood.

• Supply of essential drugs.• Quality care and prevention of

important global health threats egTB, HIV/AIDS.

Safe MotherhoodFor poor women in Nepal, giving birth isa risk proposition that can lead to illness,disability and death. Nepal’s maternalmortality rate is one of the highest in theworld. It is reported as 740 deaths per100,000 live births – or one in 24 womenwill die in child birth. The majority ofthese deaths are preventable and arecaused by obstructed labour, eclampsia(high blood pressure in pregnancy),infection and haemorrhage and unsafeabortions. Ninety per cent of these deathsoccur in rural areas. Safe motherhood andreducing the number of maternal deathsby 50 per cent by 2015 has beenidentified as a national priority andBNMT’s work helps to reduce the riskfor many women.Our Safe Motherhood Innovation

Programme aims to reduce maternalmortality by increasing the proportion ofbirths which are attended by skilled andequipped health staff. It does this in anumber of ways including training ofhealth care staff in the safe managementof pregnancy and delivery; supplying ofmedicines and equipment to districthospitals and health posts; improvingaccess to financial resources anddeveloping means for pregnant women toreach hospitals and health posts whenthey need them. BNMT has supported

Happy mothers.


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comprehensive training of maternal andchild health workers (MCHWs) both inemergency obstetric care, themanagement of normal deliveries andspotting the indications for referral. Eachof the trainees receives an emergency kitwith essential medication and equipmentand almost all of the communities in theprogramme area now have MCHWstrained to provide antenatal, delivery andpost natal care for local mothers.For more complicated deliveries

BNMT has run midwifery refreshertrainings and provides ongoing supportand supervision for assistant nursemidwives (ANMs). The ANMs learnabout recent developments in delivery,how to manage difficult deliveries andwhen to refer to the district hospital.While at the hospital BNMT has trainedhealth care staff to manage lifethreatening complications includingretained placenta, haemorrhage and howto undertake a vacuum delivery orproceed to caesarean section in additionto basic anaesthesia training for healthassistants.But none of this will be effective

without raising awareness of the risksassociated with childbirth, ways tominimise these risks and the serviceswhich they can expect to be provided for

them among local women and with localcommunity leaders. So the Trust hasprovided extensive community-basededucation programmes by training femalecommunity health volunteers (FCHVs)and traditional birth attendants to use aset of specially developed educationalmaterials for the pre-literate onpregnancy and childbirth for families andcommunities. The FCHVs now conductcommunity education sessions and visitpregnant women’s homes to talk towomen, their husbands and their ‘inlaws’ about planning for a safe birth.So did it make a difference? After

three years the programme has made ameasurable impact. The use of cleanhome delivery kits went up by almost30%. The proportion of women whosought medical treatment following apregnancy related complication hadincreased by a third, more women wereattending for regular antenatal care – upby 40% in some areas, and mothersattending for post natal checks were uptoo. There was also an increase in theproportion of families makingpreparations for the birth of their newbaby – up by 65% and the proportion ofbirths attended by a trained birth assistanthad increased by a factor of five. Thisprogramme highlights the wide impactsthat simple interventions can have as wellas the difficulties that community basedprojects have in proving definitiveoutcomes like ‘reduction in the numberof mother’s dying as a result ofchildbirth’. However, intuitively, it seemslikely that deaths from childbirth willdecrease when women access qualityantenatal care, high risk pregnancies arereferred to an appropriate care level fordelivery and normal delivery is attendedby trained birth attendants; after all that’swhat worked in England!

Antenatal clinic at the health centre inLing Ling, Sankuwa Sabbha.


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Despite the challenges of politicalinstability over the last ten years, theprogramme has continued to operate aswell as expanding its programme into theTerai districts of Sunsari and Morang.Also the big population shifts in responseto the war – as people endeavoured tomove to areas where they could ensuretheir own personal safety and that of theirfamily – has put additional challenges onservices, particularly in the districtcentres in the hills and in the Terai. So asthe government focus shifts to providingservices for areas of greater population(very pragmatic when you are dealingwith limited resources) those in theunder-populated rural areas becomeincreasingly disadvantaged andvulnerable. It is precisely these peoplewho BNMT will continue to target toensure that childbirth is safe and thatchildren will grow up with a mother.As an ex BNMT doctor, a trustee of

BNMT and a complete ‘Nepalophile’ – tokick start the 40 year anniversarycelebrations I led a ‘Trans-HimalayanTrek’ in the Autumn of 2007 as afundraiser for BNMT. I was joined forparts of the route by many others whoeither had links with Nepal and/orBNMT or just like walking in themountains and who I endeavoured to turninto Nepalophiles too! As I emerged

from behind the Annapurnas (having‘done’ the northern half of the circuit ‘thewrong way round’ according to most ofthe guides who we met en route!!) Istopped for a day in Besisahar, Lamjungdistrict and the gateway to theAnnapurnas. The following morning Iwatched a funeral cortege take the bodyof a young mother down to the banks ofthe Marsyangdi River for cremation.She had died in childbirth the precedingnight – she was only 24 years old – herbaby son survived. This exemplifiedfor me the very real risk of childbirth inNepal – and of course the survival for thebaby son without his Mother to feed andnurture him will be compromised too.It is exactly this which BNMT’s safemotherhood programme is designed toprevent.Over the last 40 years, BNMT believes

it has done a satisfactory job inimproving health in Nepal, but there is alot more to be done to consolidate thelegacy of that small group of doctors andnurses who had the vision andestablished the Trust all those years ago.If you wish to read more of Gillian

Holdsworth’s ‘Trans-Himalayan trek’ –the blog plus photos can be found on theBNMT website atwww.britainnepalmedicaltrust.org.uk.

Balloons - reward for washing faces!


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National Park BabaIn his lifetime perhaps only SriSatchidanandendra Saraswati, morecommonly known as Khaptad Baba,held the distinction of being a simplehermit with a helicopter at his disposal.For fifty years the Baba lived as arecluse in a wooden hut built for him bylocal villagers. Beside the hut thevillagers dug a deep hole where theBaba used to meditate undistracted bythe external world.The view from Baba’s house is one of

Thoreauesque simplicity. To the northare the white translucent peaks of theApi and Saipal Himal. On every otherside are dense forests of oak, larch andfir interspersed with open areas ofgrassland called patans. The forests arehome to wild boar, leopard and blackbears.The 3,000-metre Khaptad plateau is

mentioned in the Hindu Vedas as asource of medicinal herbs. Over twohundred different kinds of medicinalplants are found in the area and localpeople say that in the summer the scentof the mountain flowers is so strong thatit is intoxicating.During his life the otherwise genial

Baba disliked people asking where hewas from. However, he spoke Hindi,English and Nepali fluently and toldpeople he had studied to be a doctor inEngland. In his sixties he gave up hismedical practice in India and became asadhu or holy man. Like many sadhushe moved closer to the abode of theGods in the Himalaya.For many years the Baba relied on the

charity of the poor villagers who lived

around the plateau and who suppliedhim with food and firewood. However,word of the wise holy man eventuallyfiltered back to the royal palace inKathmandu. In 1983 the late KingBirendra Bikram Shah paid the Baba avisit by helicopter and changed his lifecompletely.During his visit the King asked the

Baba if he could do anything for him.“Something to protect the natural beautyof the area”, answered the Baba. Thefollowing year, at royal behest, theKhaptad plateau was gazetted as anational park.The King was so taken with the

simple sanctity of the Baba that heordered that he should be given agovernment stipend. The NepaleseArmy constructed a helipad next to theBaba’s hut. During the cold winters, orwhen he was ill, an army helicopterwould fly the Baba to a warmer retreatin Kathmandu.According to local folklore Khaptad

Baba died in 1996 aged 130. Unlikelyas this is, he was certainly a very oldman, loved and venerated in the FarWest of Nepal. In spring this year Itrekked for two days to KhaptadNational Park to visit the Baba’s home.Once there, it is a half-hour walk fromPark Headquarters through the woods tothe hermitage. At the top of the hill Ipush open an iron gate and wanderaround the Baba’s garden. Even thoughthe Baba died ten years ago the gardenis well maintained and his hut has beenfreshly whitewashed. A small woodenveranda runs along the south side of thehouse. A wooden statue of the Baba

LETTER FROM FAR WESTERN REGIONBy Rick Beven


The Royal Society for Asian AffairsInterested in Asia? The Society’s aim is to promote greater knowledge andunderstanding of the countries of Asia, present and recent past, from the NearEast to the Pacific Rim. We are an active and friendly organisation withfortnightly lecture meetings in London, social functions, overseas tours at roughlyannual intervals, thrice-yearly publication of a much respected Journal AsianAffairs, a library of over 5000 books for members’ use and an archive collectionwhose catalogue is accessible via our website. There is a Junior Members’Section for under 25 year olds and the Society administers the annual Sir PeterHolmes Memorial Award to encourage young people aged 18-25 to travel withpurpose in Asia.

Membership enquiries are invited to:

The Secretary, RSAA, 2 Belgrave Square, London SW1X 8PJTelephone: +44(0)20-7235 5122 Fax: +44(0)20-7259 6771Email: [email protected] Website: www.rsaa.org.uk

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meditating in saffron robes is sitting ona table on the veranda guarded by awhite stone lion. The bearded Babasmiles serenely out at a world he helpedpreserve. A prayer flag rasps gently inthe wind against the wall.On my last day in the national park I

walk up to the hermitage to make anoffering of a single crimsonrhododendron flower. In the forest Imeet the Hindu priest from the nearbyNepalese Army camp returning fromconducting puja at Khaptad Baba’shouse. He looks at the flower in myhand and places a tika mark on myforehead. Incense sticks are still burningbeside Baba’s statue when I arrive at the

house. I place my offering by Baba’sstatue. I walk outside and sit on Baba’swooden bed in the sun. It is verypeaceful amongst the silence of thesurrounding mountains. I listen.Beneath the occasional call of birds,

the drum of a far-away woodpecker, themurmur of an early spring bee, isanother sound. It is like the noise madeby electric power lines on a wet day; fora few seconds I hear the vibrant,ephemeral hum of the eternal cosmos.Then I lose it amidst the cooing ofpigeons in the woods.


Mark Temple writes:

As I travelled towards Darjeeling inNovember 1973, several people said to methat while I was there, I should call onAndrew Mercer. Retired British Gurkhaofficers in Kathmandu offered me thisadvice, and Nepali ex-servicemen inDharan, too, said I should visit ‘MercerSahib’. I resolved so to do. AndrewMercer, it was explained, was a formerColonel in the 7th Gurkhas whose menwere mainly recruited from east Nepal andwho had retired to Darjeeling. He was saidnot to speak just Gurkhali, but also some ofthe languages of their several differenttribal groups such as the Limbus.I cannot now remember how I acquired

his contact details but early on one lateautumn afternoon I knocked at the frontdoor of a well matured block of flats inDarjeeling, Ajit Mansions, nearChowrastha. The door was opened and Iwas shown in by an elderly Nepali manwho was, presumably, Mercer Sahib’sorderly. Andrew Mercer, a sprightlyEnglish gentleman of 77, rose to greet me.However, many years later I can onlyremember snatches of the conversation. Hetold me that he was the fourteenth memberof his family to serve in Gurkha regimentsand had retired in the early nineteen-fifties.The flat was furnished comfortably, but

in the old fashioned way of the dwellings ofthe aged where, so often, the furniture andfittings have grown ancient without theoccupants noticing. It reminded me of mygreat aunts’ house in Felixstowe.Some parts of the conversation made me

realise I was in touch with history. Heexplained how, following the Ted Heath’selection pledge in 1970, his army pension,which had been frozen since leaving the

army, had suddenly been indexed linkedand had more than doubled. (The previousfreezing seems to have been some deviousUK governmental wheeze to avoid payingpension increases to those residents in theSub-continent. (And elsewhere. Ed.))“Before I got my pension increase” saidAndrew Mercer, “a sepoy of my regimentserving in the UK was being paid morethan me, a retired colonel of the regiment!”It was that use of that word sepoy whichshook me. I had read about the ‘SepoyRevolt’. I had learnt that the Nepali wordfor soldier was related to it and the Hindiequivalent, but I had never before or sinceheard a British person use the wordnaturally to refer to living soldiers.He also told me how he had been sent by

air to Kathmandu in 1946 as a member of asmall military mission. Whilst there, theBritish Resident (At that time: Lt Col SirGeorge Falconer KCB, CIE, EnvoyExtraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary.Ed.) had remarked that, including themission of which Mercer was a member,and the Residency staff, there were eightEuropeans in Kathmandu - and as far asanyone could remember - that was thelargest number there had ever been there atthe same time. That was about five yearsbefore Nepal began to open to the worldoutside.He was keenly interested in what I was

doing in Nepal, where I had been and whatI thought of it all. At some point in theconversation, we discovered a commoninterest in Weston-Super-Mare. I hail fromthere and it turned out Andrew Mercer wasborn just along the street from where I hadgone to school. (Through the miracle of theinternet I later found the following:

Baptism Record at EmmanuelParish Church, Weston-Super-Mare:

AN AFTERNOONWITH MERCER SAHIBBy Mark Temple and Gerry Birch

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“1896 Apr 22 Andrew Vierair Aldie toCharles Archibald and Helen ElizaMercer. Lieut Col 4th GurkhaRifles.”)

At the time, his recollections of thegeography of Weston seemed sharper thanmine. This was alarming since I had onlyleft there fifteen months before! Perhapsmy efforts to learn Nepali and adjust toNepal had, if only for a while, overprintedmy recent youthful memory.Andrew Mercer explained that there was

one other long-term British resident stillliving in Darjeeling, a lady of similar age tohimself. He said that they had theirrespective plots reserved in the churchgraveyard and they would be the last Britishpeople to be interred there. He said thiswithout any pathos, but just to explain in amatter of fact way, his situation as one ofthe last of those who had ‘stayed on’. Hewas enjoying a relaxed and gentlemanlyretirement. He explained to me how heregularly had groups of secondary schoolchildren come to his flat to talk with him toimprove their English conversation, and heenjoyed their company.By the time I left Darjeeling four or five

days later, I knew that in meeting AndrewMercer I had been talking to a real expert.On the 19th November 1973, in the OxfordBook and Stationery shop that opened ontoChowrastha (Still there & better than itsnamesake in Calcutta. Ed.) I had purchasedNepal and the Gurkhas published byHer Majesty’s Stationery Office (HMSO)for the Ministry of Defence in 1965. Itcontains dated black and white pictures ofNepal by such famous (among Gurkhas)old British Sahibs as Lt Col AlistairLanglands and the late Lt Col JimmyRoberts. In its preface it mentions amongthe acknowledgements that the author “hasbeen assisted in the paragraphs on theEastern tribes by the notes of LieutenantColonel AVA Mercer, 7th Gurkhas”.In the early nineteen-nineties I was up in

London, and in an idle moment, went into afavourite oriental bookshop. I purchased a1956 copy of ‘The Kukri’, the journal of theBrigade of Gurkhas. It contains an articleby Lt Col AVA Mercer, late 7th GurkhaRifles, entitled ‘Shadows of the PastHistory of Gurkhas’ which featuresphotographs of Gurkha families in IndianArmy depots in the nineteenth century,when travel to Nepal was difficult. Thearticle makes it clear that marriage ofGurkhas with local hill women from aroundthe old Indian Army depots of Almora,Dehra Dun, Dharmsala and Bakloh was notuncommon.Try this quote for some atmosphere of

living history:“When my father first joined theGoorkhas (1871) the railway systemin India was still very much in itsinfancy. Before 1854 there were norailways at all, and for many yearsthereafter only the main lines existed.In 1871, for instance, the railhead forDharmsala and Bakloh was Amritsar,whilst Lucknow was the railhead formost of Nepal. Going on furloughinvolved long and tedious journeys onfoot or in ekkas and bullock carts, andit is not surprising, therefore, thatfrom the old Goorkha Cantonments,Dharmsala (1 GR), Dehra Dun (2GR) Almora (3GR), Bakloh (4 GR)and Abbotabad (5GR), furloughswere few and far between”

Further “Googling“ later produced:“Mukherjee, Dr BK and Lt Col AVAMercer.

A SHORT HISTORY OFDARJEELING DISRICT, AND ITSHILL PEOPLES12mo, wraps, 21pp, plus an adsection at rear, folding map. Forewordby Srimati Padmaja Naidu, Governorof West Bengal. INSCRIBED ONTITLE PAGE BY THE AUTHOR,

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A.V.A. MERCER. Mounted to lastpage is a retraction slip stating thatthe author withdraws his remarksrelating to Singsapas, which appearedin Chapter II of this book. He statesthat it was not his intention to hurt thefeelings of any community. All profitsfrom this book go to the SB Dey TBSanatorium to assist poor non-payingtuberculosis patients from theDarjeeling District, first edition softcover. Price $44.”(This was publishedin 1962 at the cost of One Rupee &50np. Ed.)

Gerry Birch writes:My interest was immediately aroused

when I received Mark Temple’s draft articlefor the journal since I too had had the goodfortune to meet Lt Col Andrew Mercersome ten years earlier in 1963. At that timeI was the Signals Officer at the Britishcamp in Dharan. By coincidence the seniorstaff officer in HQ British Gurkha Lines ofCommunication in Dharan was Lt Col AEE(Eric) Mercer, OBE, MC, RA, nephew ofAndrew Mercer. The camp in Dharan,which had been opened in 1960, replacedthe old HQ British Gurkhas India that hadbeen established in Calcutta and fromwhere all recruiting, movement,administration and pension paying forBritish Gurkhas had been coordinated. EricMercer had been commissioned into the 4th

Gurkha Rifles prior to World War II.During the war he had served in Burma,winning an MC. In 1947, at the time of thepartition of India, when the future of the tenGurkha Regiments was underconsideration, Eric Mercer was then back inUK. With the post war reductions and thefact that the 4th Gurkha Rifles had beendesignated to become part of the post-independence Indian Army, Eric Mercerfound himself, as a regular officer,transferred to the Royal Artillery. He was ameticulous staff officer and his subsequent

posting to Dharan towards the end of hiscareer was both fitting and appropriate. (Onhis retirement he became a Retired Officer(RO) grade civil servant and worked inMOD. He also became honorary secretaryto the Society.)Throughout the nineteenth century and

up to 1960, all Gurkha recruiting and otheradministrative functions had been carriedout in India. The Nepalese Government,whilst generally supporting such activities,had always insisted that no depots shouldbe established on Nepalese soil. Thisremained the situation post Indianindependence and was allowed for in the1947 Tripartite Agreement between GreatBritain, India and Nepal. As Nepal began toopen up after 1951 and Gurkha air-troopingto and from the Far East was beginning toreplace movement by sea and, I suspect,pressure from an emerging Indiangovernment sensitive to a remaining Britishpresence, efforts were made to move thedepots into Nepal. Agreement was finallygiven by the Nepalese Government in thelate nineteen-fifties for the establishment ofan HQ in Dharan with a co-locatedrecruiting depot, the British GurkhaRecruiting Depot (BGRD) for easternGurkhas, replacing the depot at Jalapahar inthe Darjeeling District of West Bengal. Adepot for the western Gurkhas, the BritishGurkha Recruiting Centre (BGRC) just afew hundred yards over the border atPaklihawa, replaced the old depot at Lehra.A pension paying post was temporarilyestablished each year at Pokhara in thepension paying season to minimise thelength of time needed by the westerners towalk down from the hills to collect theirpensions. (Note that the late Major DudleySpain was much involved in thenegotiations with the Nepalese authoritiesat the time of the building of Dharan. Seeobituary in Journal No. 30. Ed.) In thenineteen-sixties the recruiting ‘season’ wasalways in the autumn, after the monsoon

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when movement in the hills was easier. The‘hill’ recruits were brought down by thegallah wallahs, retired Gurkha NCOsemployed for this purpose.Recruit clerks at that time were recruited

from the schools in the Darjeeling Districtas a good knowledge of the Englishlanguage was a prerequisite for suchemployment and was not to be found fromwithin Nepal. The state of education in theschools in those days, particularly inEnglish, was insufficient. Andrew Mercer,having retired and settled in Darjeeling,was the informal contact between theDarjeeling schools and BGRD. Eric Mercerarrived in Dharan in early 1963 and itbecame apparent to him that the continueduse of his uncle as our ‘recruiting agent’ inDarjeeling was becoming untenable andcould lead to his expulsion due to thedoubtful legality of recruiting Indiancitizens into the British Army.All this was set against the background

of the debacle of the Indo-Chinese war ofthe previous autumn. The Chinese hadinvaded India and in the western sector hadeven managed to construct a road acrossIndian territory in the Aksai Chin. In theeast, nearer to home, the Chinese hadpenetrated into the remote Himalayanmountains and valleys of the North EastFrontier Agency and were threateningAssam. There was considerable disquiet inthe Indian Government and great concernover security in the border areas. Such wasthe paranoia that all foreigners weresuspected of being potential spies.Kalimpong was famously described byNehru as “a nest of spies” as far back as1953. The Chinese government had longsuspected Kalimpong, (the end of thetraditional trade route from Tibet throughthe Chumbi Valley to India) of being usedas a base from which to ferment resistancein Tibet. There were accusations thatAmerican and Kuomintang agents wereoperating out of Kalimpong. Certainly on

my visit all the Chinese traders’ shops weresealed up. (See ‘India’s China War’ byNeville Maxwell, p.104. Ed.).Eric Mercer summoned me to his office

and briefed me on the situation. I was to goto Darjeeling and visit his uncle at AjitMansions under cover of darkness. AndrewMercer would then in turn brief me onwhere to go to meet his contacts from theselected schools at their homes after schoolhours. Cover for me was not thought to be aproblem as Darjeeling was a touristlocation, there were Gurkha ex-servicementhere and in any case the dentist who paidregular visits to the camp came fromDarjeeling and I was to travel back withhim on his next visit. It would take time toarrange the necessary pass to enter theDarjeeling District. I would have to reportin person to the District Intelligence Boardon arrival and play being the ‘tourist.’Andso it turned out that I too went to AjitMansions; at that time the furniture was notso worn. I too had an interesting eveningbeing briefed on Darjeeling and thesituation in the area. Sadly, underinstruction, I never returned to say good-bye to Andrew Mercer before leaving forDharan at the end of the mission. I wasgranted only a 24 hour pass to visitKalimpong as a result of the securityparanoia noted above. I developed afondness for the Darjeeling area with itsviews and mix of Himalayan people. Therewere many Tibetans in the refugee camphaving recently fled from their countryfollowing the Chinese invasion. I was givena copy of Andrew’s then recently publishedbook, A Short History of DarjeelingDistrict and its Hill Peoples.Looking through this book now brings

back memories of this my first visit to thatarea and of other visits over the years.Many of the businesses advertised in thebook are still there. I well remember thefamous ‘Das Studios’ where one couldpurchase film (always in short supply in

33


Dharan), postcards and Douglas prints.George Douglas, I was told, was an Anglo-Nepali who had served in the RAF. He hadmade a study of the many different tribesand produced an extensive series ofsketches which had been made into prints.These prints became very popular withBritish officers of the Brigade of Gurkhas.As I bought my first selection of prints

the assistant pointed out that Douglas hadjust left the shop and was going down thestreet. I always regretted that I never wentafter him to speak to him. I was distractedby the arrival in the shop of two beautifulgirls dressed in the traditional silk costumesof Bhutanese design. We exchanged coysmiles and chatted in halting Nepali! Afterthey had left, the assistant told me that theywere part of the Bhutanese royal family.Missed opportunities!Over the years I have been back to

Darjeeling and looked to buy more printsbut the supply finally dried up. On a visit in1989 the Curio Shop, on Chowrastha,produced an unfinished chalk sketch of aTibetan lama. In December 1991, havinggone to the Curio Shop, as Das Studios hadlong ago sold out, we were directed back toAjit Mansions where Douglas had lived asa ‘son’ was there who would show us whathe had left of Douglas’s work, sadly he wasnot there and the house was closed up. Thiswas the end of an era.

…………………………………..

Having written the first piece about LtCol Andrew Mercer, Mark visited theGurkha Museum and continued his researchto find out more about him and also lookedon the internet. His extract below is fromthis research.Andrew Vivian Aldie Mercer was born in

the 14th March 1896 in EllenboroughCrescent, Weston Super Mare and he wasbaptized at Emmanuel Parish Church inWeston on 22nd April 1896. Although bornin England, his real roots were in India. His

father, Charles Archibald Mercer wasColonel of the 4th Gurkhas and lived inBakloh for many years and Andrew Mercerwas brought up there as a child. Charleshad joined the 4th Gurkhas in 1871.Andrew Mercers’s mother, Helen Eliza

Mercer (maiden name Rawlins), was a‘Mutiny’ baby, born in Mussoorie inSeptember 1857. For some months hisgrandmother did not know if her husband,then Captain J S Rawlins, was dead oralive. Rawlins was shut up in the Fort atAgra. His regiment, the 44th BengalNative Infantry, having mutinied, wasdisbanded. Later he was posted to the 1stGurkha Light Infantry at Dharmsala. Hecommanded the Regiment for many yearsand ended up as a Major-General.Andrew Mercer’s mother remembered

going home in 1864 in a sailing ship. Ittook five and a half months voyage roundthe Cape. Her mother, Andrew’sgrandmother, took home on this voyage sixchildren of her own and five from otherfamilies. There was no nurse or ayah. If itwas rough, no oil lamp or candles wereallowed because of the danger of fire.Andrew Mercer’s great-great uncle was

Lieut-General J Nash, CB. As an ensign,he had fought in the action at Malaun in1814 against Gurkhas, the army of Nepal,in the Anglo-Nepal War of 1814-1816.Nash’s grave is in the Dehra Dun cemetery.Andrew Mercer was commissioned on

22 December 1915 and arrived in India in1916 when he was sent to the 1st/7thGurkha Rifles. He spent great deal of timewith 1/7 GR on the North West Frontier.In about 1918 he was with them on theline of communication which stretchedfrom Kishingi (on the Quetta - Karachirailway line) to Saindak near Robat.Service on the line of communicationentitled men to wear the war servicemedal, and Mercer said they deserved it.“I have never known men worked so hard;yet throughout they remained their ever-

34


willing ever-cheerful selves”.In 1921 he was Officer Commanding the

Depot of the 1st Battalion at Bakloh. InDarjeeling in 1965 he was accosted by anold Lady who said surely he was CaptainMarsal Sahib, OC Depot 1st Battalion atBakloh in May 1921 and did he notremember her? He confessed he did not.She said “Don’t you remember in Bakloh inMay 1921, and when the roof of the“Kuchha Married Lines” was blown away ina storm, you carried my children in thenight to the empty Bachelor Lines andhelped save all the stranded families who’sMarried Lines had been destroyed in thestorm.” Mercer observed that heremembered the incident but NOT theindividuals. Such was fame! AndrewMercer was back on the NW frontier in1929. The officer commanding Chamanwas ex-officio Station Commander,regarded as a man of some standing. Whentherefore in May 1929, Lt Col Brett,commanding the 1st Battalion at Chaman,was nearly run down on his bicycle by alarge touring car that tore past him andsmothered him in dust, he had cause to feelangry. Vowing vengeance he rode on andovertook the car which had pulled up withinthe cantonment. To his astonishment hediscovered the culprit to be Amanullah,King of Afghanistan, who had fled hisrealm. Amanullah, was the self-appointedmonarch for whose state visit to India the2nd Battalion had been specially sent toChaman only two years before.Brett did what he could for the fugitive

king and for his household who arrived afterhim during the course of the day. Mercerwho went to the party’s help laid hold of asuitcase thinking to lift it out of the car. Itresisted him; he could not move it.Obviously it contained gold, and it was butone of seven similar cases; the ex-kingclearly put no trust in folding money.In 1935 Mercer was in Quetta at the time

of the earthquake. “Both Battalions were

absent from Quetta at the time, the 1stBattalion being in Zob and the 2nd atChaman. Both felt the tremors, yet sonarrow was the fatal passage of theearthquake that our barracks at Quetta, onthe very brink of it, escaped destructionthough they were severely shaken. Mercer,in charge of the first Battalion TrainingCompany and the families in Quetta, wasawakened out of sleep into terrifiedconsciousness - but already all was stillagain. Mercer had experienced theearthquake of 1931 and he tells us that whatimpressed him in 1935 was the silence afterit had passed. He missed the eerie,anguished cry of 1931 and did not guessthe reason for “the absence of all sound”.Nearly all the population were dead. Theearthquake caused about 30,000 deaths.In 1938 Andrew Mercer was in charge of

a detachment of 250 of 1/7 GR includingthe pipes and drums, who at the request ofthe Viceroy of India, the Marquis ofLinlithglow, were the guards at theViceregal Lodge and at the Commander-in-Chief’s house, Snowdon in Simla, fromApril to October - a great honour.Andrew Mercer was a great expert on

Gurkhas - far beyond the knowledge ofmost British officers. He passed the CivilService Interpretership examination inGurkhali (Nepali), being one of only threeBritish officers known to the author to haveachieved this very high level in thelanguage. He spent a lot of time asAssistant Recruiting Officer in Ghoom. Hewas there in 1934, again in 1941 and in1948 he came back to Darjeeling to helpestablish a Recruiting Office for Britain’sBrigade of Gurkhas. He was promoted tomajor in 1933 and to Lieut-Colonel inDecember 1941. He settled in Darjeeling inhis retirement in his flat in Ajit Mansions.The British Army had facilities in Jalpaharjust above Darjeeling until Dharan campopened so he had frequent contact withserving Gurkhas and British officers.

35


Dorothy Wallace who arrived inDarjeeling in October 1953 and retired in1993 having spent almost all that time incharge of Nepali Girls High Schoolrecounted her meetings with AndrewMercer.

“My predecessor obviously knewCol. Mercer as he was always known,very well. So quite soon I was takento Col. Mercer’s home in AjitMansions. He was what we alwaysthink of as a Colonel, a real uprightrather stiff English Gentleman of theVictorian Age. His servant wasobviously his old “batman”.Col Mercer’s house as you describeit, was just like my quarters at theschool, furniture probably brought upfrom Calcutta (Kolkata) or even UKand always just seemed all right - nomoney to replace it and you didn’tnotice anyway as you had got used toit. I used to take the school boardergirls in crocodile for a walk to theChowrastha every Sunday afternoonand we often met Col Mercer. Hewould say “Good Afternoon” to meand the girls would chorus “GoodAfternoon Colonel Sahib”. Thisritual had been taught them by mypredecessor, not by me.The reference to improving theEnglish of secondary school childrenwas probably the local RC schoolswhere pupils came from better classhomes, able to afford the higher fees,or from St. Paul’s School with veryhigh fees.Sometimes I would get an invitationto afternoon tea with Col Mercer - hewas Col Mercer to everyone. Hisinvitation was almost a summons. Iam afraid the conversation was a bitstilted, he being of the pre-independence school of thought and Ibeing the post-independencegeneration who mixed as much as

possible with the local people andmade their friends with them.But Col Mercer was an outstandingperson in Darjeeling, though I doubtif anyone knew him very well.”

Mr. Young, a tea planter now residentnear Sukna (Still alive in 2006 and theoccasional visitor at the DarjeelingPlanters’ Club. Ed.) describes him thus:

“Col. Andrew Mercer was a verydisciplined army man. I knew him asa very, very well known person inDarjeeling. The people of Darjeelingliked him a lot and almost everyonedid so. He was an expert on thehistory of Darjeeling. He was also, atone time, the Recruiting Officer forBritish Gurkhas at Jalapahar. I knewhim as a person who played the pianovery well and he had a piano in hisflat at Ajit Mansion, Chowrastha. Hewas a bachelor and spoke Nepalibetter than many Nepalis. He diedabout 20 years back.”

Andrew Mercer died in 1975 and in hisobituary of him Brigadier E D Smith wrote:

“I remained in regular contact withAndrew and when he settled in AjitMansions, a visit to my old friendwas always ‘a must’ on anyDarjeeling programme. In hisyounger days a walk round ChowkBazaar, with Andrew, was amemorable experience. Everyoneknew him; all greeted him with asmile irrespective of their age, sex orwalk of life: Padre, pensioners, pony-boys, prostitutes and pimps, all knewhim as “Marsal Sahib”. As the yearspassed this was to become “MarsalBuhro”. Andrew was a devout RomanCatholic, truly a gentle man who wasnot only upright in figure, erect andtrim, but one who practised hisChristianity at all times. Until hispension was increased a few yearsago, Andrew had to live frugally but

36


never did he refuse to help those indire need, even if it meant that hehimself had to forgo an occasionalluxury in his somewhat monasticmode of living. A few of Andrew’scontemporaries used to say: “Poorold chap. Fancy living as an exile inDarjeeling”. Absolute nonsense, myfriends. Andrew would have been alonely pathetic figure if he had livedin a flat here in England. And, let usbe honest, he would have been aninsufferable bore if he has chosen toeke out his days in a Club.No, he died a lively old soldier,surrounded by friends, few of themBritish it is true, but none the lessfriends, steadfast, loyal and loving.And he never cut himself off from theRegiment. Andrew loved meetingyoung serving officersand men and having regaled them

with stories from the past, then hewould seek news about the present.When I bade farewell to him abouteighteen months ago, we both had tofight back our tears. It was to be ourlast farewell and we knew it.”

To report only the British views of ColMercer would be to miss a crucial point.Almost every long term resident ofDarjeeling over the age of 50 and bornthere, remembers him with affection. Anenquiry to Minoo Avari, whose father EricAvari, was a good friend of AndrewMercer, elicited the following response.“I remember Col Mercer so well, even

after all these years, and can still see himwalking erect in his khaki greatcoat duringthe winter months”.

37

Britain-Nepal Chamber Of Commerce

Patron: H.E. Mr Murari Raj Sharma. President: Rt. Hon. Sir John Nott, KCBVice President: Colonel J.M. Evans MC. Chairman: Mr Anthony Wieler

Vice-Chairman: Mr Mahanta Shrestha

The Chamber encourages two way trade between the United Kingdom and Nepal.

It acts as an interface through ,formal and informal meetings, for those seeking to develop contacts and trade and always welcomes new members with similar aims.

The Secretary

Britain-Nepal Chamber of Commerce Tamesis House Tel.. +44 (0)20 8330 6446 Fax: +44 (0)20 8330 7447 35 St Philip's Avenue Email: [email protected] Worcester Park Website: nepal-trade.org.uk Surrey KT4 8JS


38


The 8rilain-:Nepal Otol09Y SeMce

A CI>ilti1t dedicaloo o !he preve",*, and ir'''l_''~ rI Cleal_ ill N_

BRINOS :2 Wul Ao~d Gu IdlOI'd Suney GU1 21\U lel: ~'483 569?19

RHINOS OF NEPAL AT ZSL WHIPSNADE ZOOBy Veronica Watkins

Deputy Team Leader, Asia RegionZoological Society of London

ZSL Whipsnade Zoo has been home toGreater one-horned rhinos since the1930s and over the years has had asuccessful breeding programme.However, with an ageing pair of rhinoswhich last bred in 1989, the breedingprogramme was waning. So the Zoowelcomed the arrival of two youngfemale rhinos from Chitwan NationalPark, Nepal in 1998. The two youngrhinos, both under two years old, quicklysettled into their new surroundings. Theywere named Beluki and Behan and soonbecame favourites with both staff andvisitors.As the ‘girls’ matured, so began the

search for a suitable mate. A breeding

male, ‘Jaffna’ from Basle Zoo inSwitzerland (born in San Diego in March1994) was offered on loan and he arrivedin July 2004. Jaffna was a very relaxedmale rhino and when mixed with afemale to breed, he was happy to let herdo all the chasing! Eventually asuccessful mating took place inSeptember 2005 and sixteen months laterkeepers were preparing for the big event.Behan was under constant surveillance

with CCTV cameras in her well-beddedand warm stable so the team of keeperswere able to witness the normal and safebirth of a female calf at 14:00 on NewYear’s Eve 2006. A good bond betweenmother and calf was quickly established

Behan and Asha.

39


and Behan proved to be a natural motherprotecting and nurturing her calf as if shewas an experienced cow rhino.The calf aroused a lot of interest in the

local press, being the first Greater one-horned rhino calf born at Whipsnade Zoofor over 17 years. A competition to nameher was run by a local televisioncompany and the name ‘Asha’ meaning‘hope’ was selected.Asha has gone from strength to

strength. Now, nearly 2 years old, sheweighs 868kgs. She is very friendly andrelaxed and is inseparable from hermother and is still suckling.In the meantime Jaffna, the male rhino

had been busy and had mated Beluki inJuly 2006. Her calf was due inNovember 2007 and again preparationswere made. On 5 November, fireworksday, Beluki was showing signs of earlylabour but staff didn’t expect the calf tobe born like a rocket in under 2½ hoursat 12:40! The delivery was good andalthough it took a while the calf was upand suckling by 17:30. This was a malecalf and he weighed 60kgs at birth.Although Behan was also a good

mother the calf started to become slightlylethargic a few days later. The veterinaryteam were called in and after several dayson antibiotics, vitamins and top-up feedsthe calf was back on track and putting on1.5kgs every day. By day 5 he seemed fitand Beluki was left in soul charge. Thecalf was named Rap, meaning ‘heat ofthe fire’, in a competition run by achildren’s newspaper. He has recentlyhad his first birthday, celebrated as italways will be in Britain, with fireworks!Rap now weighs 534kgs and is anindependent young rhino who loves toget attention from his keepers and anylucky visitors.Jaffna has now returned to Basle and

Whipsnade has acquired a new male,Hugo, from Warsaw in Poland who wasborn in Amsterdam in December 2002.Although he is still young there are plansfor him to breed with the Whipsnadefemales in the near future and increasethe captive population of Greater one-horned rhinos. A new modern exhibitnamed ‘Rhinos of Nepal’ with indoorpools and open stabling areas has beenopened this year to accommodate thisgrowing herd. November 2008

Jaffna and Behan.

Asha.

40


41


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Website : www.tigermountain.com "Io -'" cNcIuog "'" 7' ('7 ('" • .,.. , ,,, _ ...... "" ~

Honours and AwardsMajor David Thomas, formerly of 2ndKEO Goorkhas was made an MBE forservices to Nepal in the Queen’s BirthdayHonours List in June 2008. He formed theCairn Trust to assist children in hillvillages in west Nepal. This assistance hasincluded school reconstruction and furtherwork is planned to create orphanages,more schools and general support foreducation in Nepal. In the 2009 NewYear’s Honours List, Mr George Band, amember of the successful 1953 EverestExpedition, has been made an OBE forservices to mountaineering and charitywork, notably the Himalayan Trust UK,started by the late Sir Edmund Hillary. Wehope to hear about his work with the Trustwhen he speaks to the Society in theautumn of 2009. Members will be pleasedto note that five MCs and an OBE wereawarded to members of 1st BattalionRoyal Gurkha Rifles following their tourof operations in Afghanistan in 2008.

Physical fund raisersThose members who attended the Supperin February may remember that SteveAskham, the FCO Nepal desk officer andhis team entered the Trailwalker event heldon the South Downs Way in the summer.This event is jointly organised by Queen’sGurkha Signals and Oxfam. Proceeds aredivided between the GWT and Oxfam.Steve and his team completed the 100kmcourse in under 24 hours and raised over£2500.Lt Col (Retd) Richard McAllister at last

obtained place to take part in the LondonMarathon. He decided to make this asponsored run for the Gurkha WelfareTrust. Richard first announced hisintentions at the Gurkha BrigadeAssociation AGM, where he started to

collect his initial donations. At theSociety’s Supper, we were able toadvertise his run, along with Steve’sTrailwalker announcement. Richard writes:“Before I left for home that evening, I washugely encouraged by the generosity ofsome of those present. Thisencouragement was enhanced by averitable deluge of mail over the next daysand weeks with donations from manymembers of the Society. The mostdifficult part of the whole exercise was thetraining, particularly as winter really set inand the distances got longer. The secondmost difficult bit was the fund raising, butperseverance paid off handsomely. Theactual day dawned bright and beautiful andI was lulled into thinking that it was goingto be a warm one. It was for the first hourbut it turned colder with rain and hail. Byhalf way (Tower Bridge) I was still feelingpretty good and was making good time butsoon after, cramps started in my left calfand life became a tad more difficult. Onthe edge of Docklands, when spirits werenot particularly high and I found myself inan empty patch of road, a shout of‘McAllister Saheb!’ came from the side ofthe road and there was Deputy DirectorGWT giving much needed encouragement.All the way from Tower Bridge to thefinish there were friends and family givingsupport until, finally the end was nigh.What time? Well, for those interested itwas 5 hours and 17 minutes. And thereally important part, the final total inround terms was just over £5,000. So,many thanks to all those of you who gaveme that much-needed encouragement.”Both Steve and Richard are very

grateful to all the Society members whosupported their efforts and wish to indicatetheir thanks through the journal.

FROM THE EDITOR’S IN-TRAY

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Wildlife and Conservation Action

Koshi Tappu. In the last edition I notedthat the Wildlife and Wetlands Trust had aproject in the Koshi Tappu WildlifeReserve working with the localcommunities to achieve a sustainablelivelihood compatible with wildlifeconservation. Members will be aware thatvery severe flooding in the 2008 monsoonseason had seriously affected south-eastNepal and Bihar. Several kilometresof theeastern bund was washed away flooding alarge area. I contacted Dr Hem Sagar Baralof Bird Conservation Nepal. In responseMr Seb Buckton, a member of the WWTproject staff wrote: “I’ve recently been atKoshi for project work and had a look atthe impact of the recent flooding causedby the Koshi embankment breach. Theriver is still flowing along its new coursethrough previously populated areas, andtens of thousands of people have beendisplaced. There are many campsestablished for the displaced. Conditionsare basic. From second hand reports, itseems that the Indian authorities (who areresponsible for managing the barrage andthe embankments) are carrying out work todivert the river back to its previous course.This is problematic because of the hugevolumes of sediment deposited by the riveras it changed course. These have to bemoved to allow the river to flow backalong its previous course. Once this isachieved the embankment will be re-built,and eventually people will be able toreturn to where they previously lived.However, the river has completelyobliterated vast swathes of countryside andvillages, leaving a sandy wasteland, soimmediate prospects for those returning tothese areas don’t look good.” Naturetrektell me that their tours to Koshi Tappu aregoing ahead and that the camp is stillintact. The authorities, both Indian andNepali have a dilemma on their hands.

Reports indicate that the work currently inprogress should have the breach repairedby March 2009. When the river is returnedto its pre-breach course there is noguarantee that it will remain there. It maybe ‘better’ to let the river set its owncourse, but this too raises fears and manypolitical problems of how to deal with and/ or compensate the population so affected.

The Vulture Crisis. Below is an extractfrom a recent report by Dr Hem SagarBaral:“The ‘vulture restaurant’ is an innovativescheme for providing safe food to vulturesin strategic locations. This work hasrecently been selected as one of the mostsuccessful projects by UNDP….Nepal’swork on setting up a conservation breedingcentre has recently been completed atKasara, Chitwan. Bird Conservation Nepaland the National Trust for NatureConservation are supporting this initiativethrough technical and financial resources.Currently fourteen young vultures arehoused in the aviary at Kasara and morecatching is planned for next season. Thebreeding programme is a long termcommitment and ensures survival ofhealthy stock for conservation breeding.”Dr Baral does go on to warn that althoughthe cause of the problem, the drugdiclofenac, has been banned there are stillstocks of it about as well as illegallyimported and manufactured and humandiclofenac which can continue to causefurther loss of vulture populations. SirJohn Chapple on a recent trip to Nepal wasbriefed on the ‘vulture restaurant’ project.Old cattle and possibly goats are boughtin, checked to ensure that they arediclofenac-free, allowed to live out theirlives drug-free and then the carcasses areput out for the vultures to feed on. Thisprovides a clean and continuous source offood. As he states: “ It is a verypraiseworthy and effective local project.”

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BOOK REVIEWS

MyWorld, My View. By Sue Carpenter.Photographs by the girls of SOS Bahini,Pokhara, Nepal. Asha Publications,Emberton, MK46 5JB UK, in associationwith the British Council. 2007. Pp. 113.150 Colour & B&W photos. Pb. £15.ISBN 99946-2-433-1.

Sue Carpenter is a freelance writer andphotographer who has worked fornumerous national newspapers andmagazines. Her article on the traffickingof women into prostitution in Nepalinspired the establishment of the Asha-Nepal charity of which she is a foundingtrustee. This charity is primarilyconcerned with the rescue andrehabilitation of trafficked women andgirls and their reintegration into society.SOS Bahini (SOS stands for “Save OurSisters”, and bahini means “little sisters”)is a Nepali-run NGO. Sue led the MyWorld, My View photographic project inPokhara from September 2006 to June2007. The book, a paperback in A4portrait format, has been distilled fromamongst the many photos taken by thegirls (aged between 6 and 16) themselvesover the period of the project. Eachpicture has been labelled, often includingthe comments of the photographer, givingher reasons for taking it. The picturesgive graphic images of their life in andaround Pokhara. This is certainly adifferent set of photographs from thatwhich is normally found. Dr AndrewHall, ambassador in Kathmandu hasstated, “The girls, who until recently hadnever handled a camera before, show anatural feeling for colour, form andcomposition. Their sheer enjoyment inrecording the world around them shinesthrough these pictures.” Sue gave a talk

to the Society in January 2008 in whichshe showed many of the photographs thatappear in the book. Profits from the saleof this book go to SOS Bahini. It can bepurchased from Asha –Nepal, 13 High St,Emberton, MK46 5JB. The website is:www.asha-nepal.org. GDB

The Nettle in Nepal. By Susi Dunsmore.The John Dunsmore Nepalese TextileTrust. 2006. Pp. 57. Colour & B&Wphotos and drawings. Bibliog. Pb. £6.50ISBN 0- 9552900- 0- 7.

Susi has updated this paperback A5format pamphlet which is richlyillustrated with photographs anddrawings. It describes the production theraw nettles known as alloand subsequent conversion by spinningand weaving into a unique material. Itgoes on to describe the design andproduction of this material into goodsthat can be sold on the open market. Thiswork is carried out in the relativelyremote villages of eastern Nepal,particularly by the women and has greatvalue in income generation for thevillages. Susi has addressed the Societyon this topic and this is recorded in the2004 edition of the journal. Following thedeath of her late husband, JohnDunsmore, a travel scholarship wasfounded and awards are made annually tostudents from the Royal College of Art tovisit eastern Nepal to help with thedesign and marketing of allo goods. Sixsuch students went to Nepal in 2007 andspoke to the Society in May 2007 abouttheir experiences. The pamphlet whichmakes very interesting reading can bepurchased from: The John DunsmoreNepalese Textile Trust, 13 Eliot Place,

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Blackheath, London SE3 0QL. Sales ofthis pamphlet go to support the alloproject in Nepal. GDB

A Man of the Frontier S. W. Laden La(1876-1936): His Life and Times inDarjeeling and Tibet. By Nicholas andDeki Rhodes. Mira Bose, Kolkata, 2006.Pp. 89 + 39 plates. Appendices. Bibliog.Hb. £14 incl postage from distributorsPagoda Tree Press, Bath, UK ISBN 8-1901-867S-2.

Sonam Wangfel Laden La is a name thatcrops up frequently in studies of Anglo-Tibetan relations in the 1920s and 1930s,but he remains a somewhat shadowyfigure who has avoided the academicspotlight. But for the authors of this bookhe is not an obscure ghost from the pastbut a venerated member of the family, forDeki Rhodes is Laden La’sgranddaughter and she and her husbandhave written a fascinating tribute to adistinguished servant of the Raj. Thebook is based on extensive familyarchives including Laden La’s diaries andphotographs, as well as interviews withelderly relatives.Laden La was born into a Sikkimese

Bhutia family in Darjeeling in 1876, hisfather a landlord and chief lama of theGing monastery while his mother camefrom western Sikkim. His parents diedwhen he was very young and he was firstsent to a monastery as a novice monk. Buthe was adopted by his aunt a few yearslater, the first boy from Darjeeling to begiven a “European education”. He wastaught by Jesuits while also receivinginstruction in Tibetan from a learnedGelugpa (a school of Buddhism) monk,and was later sent to school in Calcutta.The book notes that “Laden La wasunique in Darjeeling, in that his educationallowed him to feel ‘at home’ in both

European and local cultures, and hisability to empathise, made him someonethat all communities could relate to.” Afterworking in the Government Press inDarjeeling he was transferred to theImperial Police Service and eventuallybecame involved in frontier intelligencework. In 1903 he joined theYounghusband Mission to Tibet, andsubsequently accompanied the PanchenLama and the Dalai Lama to India onseparate visits. Laden La visited Englandin 1913, accompanying four Tibetan boyswho were to be educated at Rugby and hisown youngest son who was sent toGiggleswick. In 1920 he visited Lhasa asa member of the Bell mission. This led tothe most controversial episode in LadenLa’s career, when in 1923 he was asked toform a police force in the Tibetan capital.Things came to grief the following yearwhen a group, including Laden La wasaccused of hatching a plot to underminethe political authority of the Dalai Lama.Much has been written about this allegedcoup attempt and Laden La’s role in it butthe authors are convinced of hisinnocence. They believed Laden La wasthe victim of a power struggle and that“he had a few detractors in Darjeelingwho sought to capitalise on the situationby writing against him to their Britishsuperiors”. Reverberations of this lingeron and the authors accuse a leading experton Anglo-Tibetan relations, Alex Mckay,who has taken a more sceptical view, ofhaving been misled by “malicious gossip”.This was a low point in Laden La’scareer, but he was still trusted by theBritish and was sent on another missionto Lhasa in 1930 when he helped to averta war with Nepal.His final visit to Lhasa later that year

was marred by friction with his boss,Colonel Weir, who remained convincedthat that Laden La had been involved in

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the 1924 coup plot and who instructedhim to leave Lhasa before the rest of themission. Laden La took early retirementat the age of 55, and in his final years hecampaigned tirelessly on behalf of theDarjeeling hill people, helped to promoteBuddhism and was local the local ChiefScout of the Boy Scout movement and anactive freemason. Laden La was clearly apillar of the local establishment, but thisbook makes little attempt to get inside hismind or to give us an idea of how he feltabout being ultimately the servant of hisBritish colonial masters. It is a labour oflove and the authors have little time foranyone who suggests that Laden La couldever have acted improperly; althoughthey do admit that he was “moresuccessful in his professional career thanas a family man” (he was married twiceand had a dozen children). This shortbiography is based on a unique archivewhich I hope the authors will makeavailable to scholars who wish to carryout further research on Laden La and histimes. Michael Rank

(This review appeared in the July 2007edition of ‘Asian Affairs’, journal of theRoyal Society for Asian Affairs and isreproduced here by the kind permission ofthe editor. ‘Asian Affairs’ is publishedthrough Taylor & Francis. Details of theRoyal Society for Asian Affairs are to befound elsewhere in the journal. Nicholasand Deki Rhodes are both members of theBritain – Nepal Society. Nicholas Rhodes’mother, Mrs Ruth Rhodes, was theSociety’s first Secretary in the 1960s. Ed.)

The Scalpel & the Kukri – A Surgeon& his family’s adventures among theGurkhas.By Peter Pitt. The Royal Society ofMedicine Press Ltd. London. 2005. Ppxxiv + 248. Map. B&W photos. Line

drawings. Gloss.Hb. £15.ISBN 0-9552059-0-5.

This is the second book that Pitt, a memberof the Society, has written about hisexperiences as a surgeon in Nepal; the first,Surgeon in Nepal, was published by Murrayin 1970. This latest work describes his lifeand that of his new family in the BritishMilitary Hospital (BMH) Dharan in eastNepal. Pitt, a fully qualified surgeon from amedical family, served for nine years in theRoyal Army Medical Corps, during whichhe spent two years in Dharan, 1966 to1968. After Indian independence in 1947British military facilities remained inCalcutta, Darjeeling and close to Gorakhpurto service the requirements of Britain’sBrigade of Gurkhas then serving mainly inMalaya. These facilities included leavetransit through India, recruitment andpension paying. Over the succeeding yearsthere was pressure to close these facilitiesand with political changes in Nepalopportunities to establish a presence therearose. The Headquarters moved fromBarrackpore, Calcutta to Dharan in southeast Nepal. Eastern Gurkhas could beserviced from Dharan and a separate depotwas built at Paklihawa just over the borderfrom India, close to a railhead. Dharan wassited 30 miles away from the railhead atJogbani which necessitated the building ofa road to the Indian border. As Pitt explainsthe requirement for water was the big factorin the location of the Dharan camp with itslarger establishment which included the HQas well as the recruiting depot. A smalltransit camp was retained in Barrackpore.This organisation needed medical supportfor the Gurkhas in transit, for recruitmentand for the British and Gurkha staff postedto this somewhat remote cantonment. TheBritish and Gurkha staff were young and fitso there was a good deal of spare capacityat the BMH. This capacity quickly became

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available for the population of thesurrounding area as there were no suchmedical facilities available almostanywhere else in Nepal. A posting to BMHprovided surgeons with a uniqueopportunity to experience medical problemsthat no other establishment could provide.The medical officers consisted of onesurgeon, one anaesthetist and onephysician. The duty roster was ‘tight’.Supplies were often delayed or disruptedand staff stretched. Pitt describes inconsiderable detail the injuries he had toface – quite outside a normal hospital or A&E experience. These included burns,gunshot wounds from hunting accidents,bear and snake bites, the results of beinggored by buffalo, complicated births andmany others. The subsequent treatment isdescribed in some detail, possibly too muchfor the general reader and this squeamishreviewer! He also recounts life in andaround the cantonment, Dharan Bazaar,visits to Kathmandu, leave to Kashmir andDarjeeling. All are told with greatsensitivity and give an accurate picture ofthat life which this reviewer can confirmsince this was only some three years afterhe served as the HQ signals officer. Pitt’sfeeling for his patients and his great desireto improve their life come across verystrongly. The forward for this book hasbeen written by Brigadier AB Taggart, avice president of the Society. He states,“Peter and his staff always did what theycould, within the limits imposed by higherauthority on their activities, to help anyoneof these unfortunates; their assistance madean invaluable contribution to maintainingthe goodwill of all the hill people in thesurrounding areas – whether military or not– and the Brigade of Gurkhas was certainlyvery grateful for that.” BMH Dharandeveloped a very wide spread reputationwithin the community and its strength wasreally as an aid project. Its closure in 1989

was a great disappointment to the localsalthough it was the later to become thenucleus of the new eastern regional hospitalin Dharan. This book will appeal to thosewho experienced Nepal in the 1960s and1970s and any medicos aspiring to work inNepal or any developing country. It is alsoworth noting that the line drawings are thework of the late George Douglas. Douglas,an Anglo-Nepali lived and worked inDarjeeling (for a time at least in AjitMansions – see ‘An afternoon with MercerSahib’ elsewhere in the journal). In theearly 1960s ‘Douglas’ prints were on sale inDarjeeling and they became very popularwith the expatriate community; there waslittle else of that nature to buy in thosedays. The prints of Nepalis and Tibetans intheir various forms of dress are finely doneand very pleasing. GDB

Postcards from Kathmandu - Lifeamong Gods, Kings and Diplomats. ByFrederick Selby. Vajra Publications,Kathmandu. 2008. Pp ix + 216. Colour& B&W plates. Pb.ISBN 978- 9937-506-06-9.(The book is obtainable through thepublisher’s website or PilgrimsBookstore and /or website.)

This work is a personal memoir writtenby Selby (now a member of the Society)some forty years after he had served inNepal as an industrial/economic advisorattached to the US Embassy. He arrived inNepal in 1960 relatively freshly out ofuniversity and a short period with his firmof management consultants. He wasaccompanied by his wife whom he hadrecently married. Their son was born inNepal during this time. The period of hisservice, 1960 to 1963, is one that Idescribe as the post the ‘Han SuYin –The Mountain is Young’ period. As onewho was present in Nepal then, I find his

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descriptions of the people and places veryevocative of the life as it then was. Thefull cast of characters is included: Borisand Inger of the Royal Hotel, Toni Hagen,anthropologist and geologist, FatherMarshall Moran SJ of St Xavier’s School,Colonel Jimmy Roberts, Colonel CharlesWylie (not to my knowledge ever knownas ‘Chuck’), Prince Basundhara, BarbaraAdams, the various diplomats and manyothers. He devotes a whole chapter to SirEdmund Hillary. Other chapters aredevoted to the visit in 1961 of HM TheQueen, the Tibetan refugee problem andhis work as an industrial advisor. Hedescribes an early trek to Chhomrong andgoes on to write about the development oftrekking in Nepal. Other more bizarreincidents written about include the importfrom America via Calcutta of his whiteMercedes convertible car and water skiingwith Prince Basundhara on PhewatalLake. Selby has returned to Nepal somenine times and he looks at Nepal andmore recent events and briefly notes whathappened subsequently to some of thosepeople whom he met and knew in theearly days. There is a good selection ofphotos, in colour and black & white ofboth people and local scenes of thoseearly days. These include King Mahendra,King Birendra, King Gyanendra, theDalai Lama, Boris Lissanevitch, FatherMoran, Toni Hagen, Heinrich Harrer, andSir Edmund Hillary, and even Prachanda,aka Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the currentprime minister.There are shots of old Kathmandu,Tibetan refugees, trekking, camping andmountains. These make an eclectic set ofpictures to set off the book. Memberswho knew Nepal at that time will,particularly, I am sure, enjoy the manyvignettes of the life there that areportrayed including the comments onrecent events. This is an interesting read

for anyone with more than a passinginterest in Nepal. GDB

I will need to break your other leg -Tales of medical adventures andmisadventures.By Dr Prasanna Gautam. HammersmithPress Ltd, London. 2008. Pp 180. Pb.ISBN 978-1 905140-21-3.[A CIP record of this book is availablefrom the British Library.]

When I first saw the title of this book, Iasked myself why on earth would adoctor need to break a patient’s other leg?After reading the book I found out; it wasnot the author but an orthopaedic surgeonwho had said this when replying to apatient who complained about the shortleg and wanted the surgeon to make itequal to the good one! The book beginswith the author’s early years undergoingtraining as an intern in India. This isfollowed by stories relating to hissubsequent assignments in Kathmandu,the far western hills and south easternTerai of Nepal. The author then writes aseries of stories about his professionallife after coming to the UK in 1977.The book gives an excellent account of

the situation in which a doctor issubjected to practise medicine both inNepal and in Britain. Telling his stories,the author takes us to experience thesocial, cultural and political practicesprevalent in Nepal during the seventies.Having worked as a medical doctormyself in similar circumstances duringthe same period, I felt quite familiar withincidents and events described in thebook. To a reader from the west, the bookcan give a very useful insight into thestate of health service in Nepal and thechallenges faced by a relatively newmedic where he is expected to makeclinical, ethical and moral decisions at

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times beyond the scope of his knowledge,skill and experience.To a reader from Asia, it gives a good

insight into the standard of medicalpractice in a developed country and alsothe quality of life, particularly of thosefrom less privileged class, old and infirmliving in British inner cities. The authorhighlights the social and public healthimpact of the imported SexuallyTransmitted Diseases by the Nepaleseworkers when they return home infectedfrom India. Similarly, he also drops a hinton the Indian spies working on a differentpretext on the northern side of the borderadjoining Tibet which was a sensitiveissue between the Government of Nepaland the Indian establishment at that time.He also writes about the restrictive policyof the Nepalese Government duringsixties and seventies in attempts toprevent doctors and other professionals toleaving the country by denying thempassports.

In his stories, he writes about buyingcouncil properties in Britain duringeighties and nineties. The consequencespeople had to face of the double edgedpolicy of the then British Government. Inone of his stories, he does not hide hisfeelings of being a victim ofdiscrimination, when he was deniedprogress in his career to become aconsultant cardiologist.The story of Mr Reebock, a South

African tourist who refused to beexamined and treated by Dr Gautambecause of the colour of his skin andeventually died of massive heart attackwas a very sad story in deed! He alsodescribes an event which concerned hisfamily which was very touching. One dayhis wife, who was also a medical officerin the hospital, had suddenly taken ill.Her condition became quite serious. Inthat situation, as he was the only medical

doctor in the vicinity, he becomes herphysician, husband and guardian. I mustsay, he was both brave and lucky to havebeen able to save his wife under thecircumstances. Prasanna has made us allproud and shown his hidden talent bywriting this book. Each and every story isthoroughly enjoyable. His writing has asmooth flow and a style which makes it amost interesting and enjoyable read. Inconclusion, looking back at his successfulcareer as a consultant physician, and nowas a budding writer, I feel, perhaps thetitle of the book would have been moreappropriately titled ‘Looking Back andMoving Forward’. I wish Dr Gautam avery bright future in the field of writing.

Raghav PDhital

Kathmandu Bird Report 2004 – 2006.By Mark Mallalieu. Bird ConservationNepal. Kathmandu. 2008. Pp 56. Pb.ISBN 978-99379006-0-7.

Mark Mallalieu was formerly the countryDirector DFID in Kathmandu. During histour of duty there he was able to continuehis interest in ornithology. He hasproduced a review of the species seen inthe Kathmandu Valley over the period2004 to 2006. The main part of this A5softback book is a systematic list of thespecies with the time of year and locationwhere the visiting birdwatcher is likely toencounter such species. It also acts as abenchmark in respect of the status of thebirds at this time. The Valley is subject toa great deal of development which hashad and continues to have an adverseeffect on wildlife, not least birds. Thestate of the Bagmati River and thequarrying around Phulchowki are cases inpoint. Dr Hem Sagar Baral, the chiefexecutive of Bird Conservation Nepal,has contributed a forward to this work.

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He writes: “Well over 500 species ofbirds have been reported in KathmanduValley within the last 200 years of whichsome have not been seen for many years.The loss of forests, wetlands and openfarmland, combined with hunting andpersecution, are major threats to bird lifein Kathmandu Valley.” The usefulness ofthis list is not only the overview of thecurrent status of species which is of valueto ornithologists, but the visiting birderwill find this list invaluable inconjunction with the relevant fieldguides, either the original Birds of Nepalby the Flemings or the most recent workby the Inskipps, A Guide to the Birds ofNepal It will enable birders to plan andbetter identify the birds they mayencounter. GDB

(This report can be purchased from MrMark Mallalieu by sending a personalcheque for £4.50 (incl p&p) to him at: 29Cobbetts Mead, Haywards Heath, West

Sussex, RH16 3TQ.All proceeds will be passed to BirdConservation Nepal.)

Britain’s Gurkha War – The Invasionof Nepal, 1814-16. By John Pemble.Frontline Books, an imprint of Pen andSword Books, Barnsley, S. Yorks. 2008.Pp xv + 389. Hb. Maps. B&W plates.Appx. Bibliog. Index.£19.99 ISBN 978-84832-520-3.

This is a comprehensive account of thewar between the expanding East IndiaCompany and Nepal over the period1814-16, and is an updated version of hisearlier work, The Invasion of Nepal,published in 1971, with new informationand a forward by Lt Col JP Cross. Theauthor addressed the Society on 12thMarch 2009. A full review article will bepublished in the 2009 edition of thejournal. GDB

HIMAL SOUTHASIANHimal Southasian is a monthly news and current affairs magazinewhich is published in Kathmandu. Originally it dealt only withNepal but due to its increasing success it now covers the SAARC /South Asian region. The editors consider this to be a ‘reviewmagazine’ that contains longer and more analytical articles, two ofwhich are reproduced in this edition of the Britain – Nepal SocietyJournal by kind permission of the editor.

www.himalmag.com

Subscription: 1 year US$ 40 2 years US$ 72

Mailing address: GPO Box 24393, Kathmandu, NepalTel: + 977 1 5547279 Fax: + 977 1 5552141

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Mr TJ O’Brien CMG MCTerence O’Brien died in December 2007.He was Ambassador in Kathmandu overthe period 1970 to 1974. He was born inIndia on 13th October 1921, one of a longline of Irish civil servants who had servedthe British Raj. He was educated atGresham’s School, Holt and having won ascholarship went up to Merton College,Oxford in 1939. His studies wereinterrupted by the war. He served with theAyrshire Yeomanry, landing in Normandyshortly after D-day. As a captain he wasawarded the Military Cross for his actionsin driving between Allied and enemy linesto carry out vital survey work. He oncejoked, “I was decorated because Isurvived.” In 1947 he joined theDominion’s Office which later became theCommonwealth Relations Office. He wasposted initially to Ceylon and was famousfor entertaining guests to his bungalowwearing a silk dressing gown – possibly ahabit acquired during his days as aThespian at Oxford. His first briefmarriage to Phyllis Mitchell ended sadly

with her death as a result of polio. Hemarried Rita Reynolds in 1953. Apart froma posting to Australia 1956-58, his careercentred on South and Southeast Asia. Heserved in Malaya 1960-62 following theend of the ‘Malayan Emergency’, a time ofuncertainty in that part of Southeast Asia.He then became involved with the initialnegotiations concerning the formation ofMalaysia when the question of how to dealwith the remaining colonies of Sarawakand British North Borneo arose. He wasthe Secretary of the Inter-GovernmentalCommittee at Jesselton charged withresolving the future status of NorthBorneo. That North Borneo became part ofMalaysia he always considered to be oneof his most enduring legacies. He was nextappointed Head of Chancery in Delhi1963-66. This was a difficult time with thecontinuing border disputes with Chinaboth in the Aksai Chin in the northwestand on the Northeast Frontier Agency(NEFA) following the short war betweenIndia and China in 1962. He attended theImperial Defence College in 1967 andafter a period in London was appointedambassador to Nepal in 1970. This wasprobably his most energetic and fulfillingposting. He, with his wife, made manytreks into the hills to assess thepossibilities for aid projects. On oneoccasion he went on trek with the thenCrown Prince Birendra with whom heformed a degree of real friendship. It wasduring this period that, with HQ Brigadeof Gurkhas, he helped to initiate direct air-trooping between Hong Kong andKathmandu. Direct air-trooping obviatedthe difficulties for families who hadpreviously had to travel via Calcutta.However his personal proudestachievement was the relief operation thathe initiated in 1973 to bring food aid

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OBITUARIES


which helped to avert a serious famine.This was known as ‘Operation KhanaCascade’, carried out by the RAF. Thisinvolved delicate negotiations with theIndian Government in respect of over-flying. The operation required a base to beestablished by the airport at Bhairawafrom where the RAF with the army AirDispatch Unit dropped some 2000 metrictons of food into remote areas of westernNepal. However, it was not all work inKathmandu which, at that time, was adelightfully colourful and relaxed place tobe. Perhaps it was here that O’Brien’s wrysense of fun emerged, notably his methodof duck racing which he devised in theresidency garden. His next posting was asambassador to Burma which he consideredto be the most heartrendingof his career. He was obliged to meetGeneral Ne Win officially on manyoccasions. He did establish bonds withmany Burmese people and these includedDaw Khin Kyi, widow of theindependence leader Aung San, the motherof Aung San Suu Kyi, cementing a closerelationship between the two familiesbegun during a previous posting. For hislast posting O’Brien was sent to Indonesiawhich he considered to be the most tryingof his career due to the trade war whichthen existed between UK and Indonesia.O’Brien retired in 1981 to Dorset after along, eventful and distinguished diplomaticcareer.

Mr Theon Wilkinson MBEMr Theon Wilkinson, founder of theBritish Association for Cemeteries inSouth Asia (BACSA) died on 26thNovember 2007. He was born inCawnpore (Kanpur) in 1924 where hisfather was Director of the Elgin Mills.Following the accepted procedure, Theonwas sent to England to school. In thesummer of 1939, while he was back home

in India on the school holidays, war brokeout; he was unable to return to RadleyCollege, completing his schooling at StPaul’s in Darjeeling. He was called up onhis 18th birthday and went to Bangaloreescorted by his bearer, Babu Lal, a familyretainer since 1921 who had been told todeliver him to the barracks and then reportback to his father. After officer training hewas commissioned into 3rd QueenAlexandra’s Own Gurkha Rifles. Hemoved to the Regimental Centre atGhangora accompanied by another familyservant, Bahadur Ali. According toWilkinson, Bahadur Ali waited on him atbreakfast in the mess and always insistedon helping him off with his boots at theend of the day’s training. (He met BahadurAli later in the 1950s in Bradford where hewas apparently successfully selling ‘fudge’made to Wilkinson’s mother’s recipe!).After a period as training adjutant at theCentre, he joined 2/3GR in Italy in March1945. He was involved in the final stagesof the Italian campaign and the operationsto secure Trieste against aggressiveincursions by Tito’s Yugoslavian troopsintent upon territorial acquisition. ByChristmas 1945 he was back in India andwas appointed ADC to Colonel Sir Clutha-MacKenzie, a New Zealander, on amission to Nepal. His last appointmentbefore demobilisation was as OC BoysCompany at the Centre. On return toEngland he went up to Worcester College,Oxford and read modern history. Whilst atOxford he won a half Blue for squash andrepresented the University at tennis. Hejoined the Colonial Service and in duecourse became a District Commissioner inKenya (1953-54). On leaving the ColonialService he worked for Charrington’sBrewery and later De La Rue (1959-68).He then went into personnel managementand became Secretary to the Committee ofVice-Chancellors and Principals of the UK

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53

Universities until he retired in 1990.Wilkinson’s abiding legacy is hisfoundation of BACSA in 1976, theinspiration for which was the result oftaking his son on a tour of his old hauntsaround India some years before. He notedthe condition of the old British cemeterieswhich had been abandoned followingIndependence in 1947. Monuments werecrumbling and the graveyards wereregularly plundered by local buildersseeking materials. He began to collectinformation on cemeteries through recordsheld in the British High Commission inDelhi. This, in turn, led to further avenuesand contacts with others also interested insuch information. He realized that hisresearches should be collated into a book.The result was the publication in 1976 ofTwo Monsoons. The book was describedby Jan Morris in The Times as not so muchof “rulers, nabobs or reformers, butessentially of fallible humans and loyalfamilies, struggling to make life tolerablein a ghastly climate far from home.” Fromthis BACSA was founded. At the time ofhis death there were about one thousandmembers and some one hundredcemeteries have been restored and morerecorded. From within this membership heestablished area representatives – peoplewith specialised knowledge of places in

South Asia. Through these representativesBACSA carries out its work of restorationand recording. It was Wilkinson’s ownhuge capacity for work and his greatdetailed knowledge and enthusiasm, basedon his early life in India, which enabledhim to assemble and process such records.The BACSA records have been depositedin the British Library and constitute amajor resource for travellers andresearchers of family history. This wasWilkinson’s most important achievementfor which he was awarded the MBE. Heset up a small publishing company –BACSA Books – that produced over fortybooks written by members which, throughhis company, were made available to thegeneral public. Theon Wilkison, a memberof the Society, described to the Society, in2001, his walk in 1946, into Kathmanduwith the blind Sir Clutha MacKenzie fromSt Dunstan’s. GDB

(I am grateful to Mr Rodney Turk, editorof 3rd Queen Alexandra’s Own GurkhaRifles Association journal and Mr PeterLeggatt, President of BACSA and theeditor of ‘The Chowkidar’, journal ofBACSA, for providing information for thispiece. Ed.)

ADVERTISEMENTS IN THE JOURNALWhy not adver t i se i n t he Br i t ai n- Nepal Soci et y

Jour nal

Ther e i s a member shi p wi t h a l ar ge r ange ofi nt er est s

r el at ed t o Nepal

You never know who may be i nt er est ed!

Pl ease cont act Dr Pet er Tr ot t , Tr easur er / Publ i ci t y


The UK Trust for Nature Conservationin Nepalc/o Conservation ProgrammesZoological Society of LondonRegent’s ParkLondon NW1 4RYTel: (020) 7449 6304Fax: (020) 7483 4436

The Gurkha Welfare TrustPO Box 217022 Queen StreetSALISBURY SP2 2EXTel: 01722 323955Fax: 01722 343119www.gwt.org.uk

School of Oriental and African StudiesUniversity of LondonThornhaugh Street, Russell SquareLondon WC1H 0XGTel: (020) 7898 4034

The Britain Nepal Otology Service(BRINOS)Greensand CottagePuttenham Road, SealeFarnham GU10 1HPTel: (01252) 783265

Yeti Association(Nepali Association in UK)66 Abbey AvenueWembleyMiddlesex HA0 1LLEmail:[email protected]

The Esther Benjamin’s TrustThird Floor, 2 Cloth CourtLondon EC1A 7LSWebsite: www.ebtrust.org.uk

The Britain-Nepal Medical Trust130 Vale RoadTonbridgeKent TN9 1SPTel: (01732) 360284

The Gurkha MuseumPeninsula BarracksRomsey RoadWinchesterHampshire SO23 8TSTel: (01962) 842832

Britain-Nepal Chamber of CommercePO Box BNCCc/o 12a Kensington Palace GardensLondon W8 4QUTel/Fax: (01483) 304150/428668www.nepal-trade.org.uk

Student Partnership Worldwide17 Deans YardLondon SW1P 3PB

The Royal Society for Asian Affairs2 Belgrave SquareLondon SW1X 8PJTel: (020) 7235 5122www.rsaa.org.uk

Bird Conservation NepalPO Box 12465LazimpatKathmanduNepalTel: + 977 1 4417805www.birdlifenepal.org

USEFUL ADDRESSES

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The Britain-Nepal Society was foundedin 1960 to promote good relationsbetween the peoples of the UK andNepal. We especially wish to fosterfriendship between UK citizens with aparticular interest in Nepal and Nepalesecitizens resident – whether permanentlyor temporarily – in this country. A muchvalued feature of the Society is the easeand conviviality with which members ofevery background and all ages mingletogether.Members are drawn from all walks of

life including mountaineers, travellers,teachers, returned volunteers, aidworkers, doctors, business people,members of the Diplomatic Service andserving and retired officers of the Brigadeof Gurkhas. The bond they all share isan abiding interest in and affection forNepal and the Nepalese people.Membership is open to those of all agesover 18 and a particular welcome goes toapplications from those under 35.Ordinary members pay a subscription

of £15 (husband and wife members £25)per annum. Life membership is a singlepayment of £300, joint life membership,a payment of £500, and corporatebusiness members £50 and charities £25per annum. Concessionary rates areavailable at both ends of the age range.The annual journal includes a wide

range of articles about Nepal and is sentfree to all members.We keep in close touch with the Nepal-

Britain Society in Kathmandu, and theirmembers are welcome to attend all theBritain-Nepal Society’s functions.However we do not have reciprocalmembership.

Members of the Yeti Association whichprovides equally for Nepalese residentsor those staying in this country are alsowelcome to attend the Britain-NepalSociety’s functions, and can become fullmembers of the Britain-Nepal Society inthe usual way. The Yeti is a flourishingorganization and they publish their ownattractive journal.Throughout the year, the Society holds

a programme of evening lectures, whichare currently held at the Medical Societyof London, Chandos Street, offCavendish Square, where members areencouraged to meet each other over adrink beforehand.The Society holds an Annual Nepali

Supper, usually in February and in theautumn we hold our AGM. The Societyalso holds receptions and hospitality forvisiting senior Nepalese.The Committee is actively seeking

suggestions from members for ways ofexpanding and developing theprogramme.Those interested in joining the Society

should write to the HonoraryMembership Secretary:Mrs Pat Mellor3 (c) Gunnersbury AvenueEaling CommonLondon W5 3NHTel: 020 8992 0173

NOTES ON THE BRITAIN-NEPAL SOCIETYPresident: HRH The Duke of Gloucester KG GCVO

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President: His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester KG, GCVO

Vice-PresidentsBrigadier AB Taggart MC

Lieutenant Colonel HCS Gregory OBE, KSGMrs Celia Brown#

Colonel JM Evans MCSir Neil Thorne OBE, TD, DL

Mr Peter A Leggatt MBEMrs Pat Mellor**

Sylvia Countess of Limerick CBE

Committee (2008/09)Chairman: Lieutenant Colonel Gerry D Birch*

Vice-Chairman: Mr John LAckroydActing Honorary Secretary: Mrs Pat Mellor**

Mrs Jenifer EvansHonorary Treasurer: Dr Peter A Trott

Mrs Liza CliftonDr Raghav Dhital OBE

Mr Harish KarkiMiss Jane LovelessMr IP ManandharMrs Sneha Rana

Mrs Frances SpackmanColonel John SK Swanston

Mr Jhabindra Parsad Aryal, (Minister Counsellor), the Nepalese Embassy (ex officio)Miss Rosalind Corrigan, FCO (ex officio)

Mr Simon L Lord ED, HQ Brigade of Gurkhas (ex officio)

Editor of the Journal: Lieutenant Colonel GD Birch*

Archivist: Mrs Celia Brown #

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