An elderly man waits for news of his relatives. Demotix/Sunil Sharma. All rights reserved.Saturday’s earthquake was a national catastrophe for Nepal, but the sheer scale of the devastation means that only a truly international response can succeed in bringing humanitarian relief to those affected. Britain in particular ought to be chief among those lending a helping hand. For, although it is easy to overlook, Britain and Nepal share something quite rare in the history of international relations: a veritable friendship between states and peoples.
To be sure, relations between Britain and Nepal have not always been friendly. The unified Kingdom of Nepal was only established in the mid-eighteenth century, and within decades the kingdom found itself embroiled in a geopolitical contest with the expanding British Empire. The two fought a bloody war from 1814 to 1816, a conflict that ended in the British annexation of former Nepali territory.
Paradoxically, however, the Anglo-Nepalese War actually laid the foundations for an unlikely alliance to blossom in the fullness of time. The war impressed upon British military commanders the uncommon bravery and skill of the Nepalese warriors. Once peace came, the British were eager to arrange for their fearless former adversaries to don British uniforms. And sure enough, thousands of Nepali soldiers were recruited into the ranks of the British Army in subsequent years. Although recruits were drawn from across Nepal, the British referred to all of them as ‘Gurkhas’, a name derived from the historical Gorkha Kingdom of Nepal.
