Lead partner: Dr. Stefanie Lotter (SOAS)
May 2024
In collaboration with Anusha Khanal, Bidhya Chapagain, and Kamal Kumar from Herne Katha, and independent blogger Lex Limbu
This outreach initiative supported research and community outreach for a new Herne Katha episode on Ex Gurkha families in the UK. The research part of the project explored the narratives of Nepali diaspora communities in the UK, with a particular emphasis on ex-Gurkha soldiers and their families in the UK. In particular, the project was situated in the towns of Aldershot, Fanborough and Reading. The aim was to understand how ex-Gurkha veterans and their families navigate and preserve their Nepali identity and cultural heritage while living and settling in the UK. The community screening part of the proposal provided a platform for engagement with UK Nepali communities and scholars.
By employing ethnography, interviews, and participatory observation, the group was able to engage with the Nepali diaspora in the UK (mainly Gurung, Magar, Rai, Limbu) to gain an in-depth understanding of their cultural experiences in the diaspora.
Herne Katha is a web documentary series which tells the tales of the extraordinary lives of ordinary people and communities in Nepal.
The projecthas now reached unimaginable heights. Herne Katha is now more than a series; it has become a collective movement. With over 1 million followers and 80 million views over 5 years, the stories from Herne Katha have managed to bring together people from all walks of life, within Nepal and globally.
Narrated in a journalistic style, Herne Katha provides a radical approach to storytelling.
They feature unheard, marginalized and silenced stories from Nepal. Each episode features a different part of Nepal where the local communities tell their stories – in their own words and in their own style.
Blog post by Lex Limbu: Herne Katha Features The Life Of Nepalis in Aldershot
Published below is a blog post by Lex Limbu a blogger currently based out of London and Kathmandu. The post was first published on 26th September 2024 and has been republished here with his permission.
The recent episode of Herne Katha has taken many Nepalis in the UK by surprise. In Belayatka Gham-Joon Haru, Bidhya Chapagain has traded uneven hilly terrains or the plains of Terai to the gentle life of Nepalis in Aldershot. The town which has historically been the home of the British Army is often dubbed as the home of Gurkhas or Nepali town. NepAldershot is a popular term among non-Nepali taxi drivers. The near-hour long episode features the lives of elderly Nepalis, baje and bojus, who have swapped their life in Nepal for Aldershot. Chapagain does well to find out the reasons and circumstances that have brought the bajey and bojus to the UK.
In the video, we are quickly able to understand the meaning of Aldershot and surrounding towns such as Farnborough for the elderly Nepalis. For many parts of Aldershot provides a chautari, a place to meet and chat; it provides a place where they can get by with just their mother tongue. Even the vendors in the market are heard speaking in Nepali. The vendors go further, stressing how businesses such as theirs are supported and sustained by the Nepali community. This is not surprising.
From jewellery shops, convenience stores, event venues, places of worship; Nepalis have comfortably ventured into all these avenues and more! There’s even a Nepali barbership, salon and a tattoo parlour.
There are some themes that really come through. Many of the elderly Nepalis came to the UK to get what they felt they truly deserved all along… justice. While we don’t see any active clips of protests, we are told about how things are far from equal for large section of the retired Gurkhas. At present, many elderly Nepalis are making do’ with their state pension. Some for them, some for their loved ones and some to buy Gold. After all, it’s the Nepali boju baje’s sustaining the gold shops in Aldershot as one boju tells Chapagain.
Some baje’s and boju’s share stories of the jobs they took up shortly after arriving in the UK. From cleaning, making momos to childcare, Mangali Magarni boju from Myagdi steals the show with her stories. Her strong demeanor and ability to laugh at lifes hurdles is powerful. Widowed at twenty-five, things have never been smooth for Mangali boju and it’s great to see her get her moment through Herne Katha.
Loneliness is something that comes through here and there but it’s not something that we as community are comfortable talking about.
The Nepalis that reside in Aldershot, many of whom are or have links with the Gurkhas, have actively worked to preserve the story of Gurkhas. They’ve gone further with the recent statue of Kulbir Thapa VC, which stands tall in the heart of Aldershot – forever to tell the story of the brave Gurkhas. I cannot help but wonder whether we are missing that storytelling of Gurkhas right here in Kathmandu. Till today, I find myself having to explain the Gurkha history and the story of the present-day Gurkhas… right here in Kathmandu.
Maybe that’s something we can work on…
If you have watched this episode, let me know your thoughts.