When Shantamaya was informed of his death, she could not believe it because she did not see his dead body. BBC reports:
"After he had been missing for nine years I was informed that all the missing soldiers were killed. But how can I believe that when I haven't seen his dead body?"
"At first it was so tough. All the time, his image kept dancing in front of my eyes. But now I am trying to adjust, even though my heart doesn't let me."
When her husband departed, they had been married for just one year. Mrs Limbu married when she was 14. She was devoted to her husband and did not marry anyone else after he disappeared.
The sad part of this story is that Mrs. Limbu’s husband fought and died for the British but she receives pension according to Indian army standard. Her husband died during the colonial period which makes her eligible for British pension but the British office did not respond to her request.
Shantamaya’s is one the many stories of sufferings and sacrifice of the great Gurkha soldiers, but what did they receive for all their losses and sacrifice? Still now, Gurkha soldiers are not treated equally in the British army. They receive meager facilities and their pension is far lower than regular British soldiers. In protest of this unequal treatment, last month fifty Gurkha soldiers returned their medals to the leader of the opposition party in
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Having read the story of this old lady, I really feel sympathy for the Gurkha soldiers and their families. They are now part of British army, but still not treated equally. After showing so much bravery and loyalty over the years, I think, the Gurkha soldiers and their families deserve some more from British government.
Posted by: Biplob Kishore Deb | April 26, 2008 9:12 AM | Permalink to Comment