Gurung, who served in the Gurkha regiment of the British army, points to a photograph of himself as a...
Bhim Prashad Gurung, who served in the Gurkha regiment of the British army, points to a photograph of himself as a young soldier, as he sits at home in Gurung Village in Pokhara valley, west of Kathmandu October 29, 2013. An estimated 10,000 ex-Gurkha heads of family live in Britain, having come here after serving in the famous brigade that since 1815 has fought in numerous conflicts, from Gallipoli to Malaya to the current war in Afghanistan. But though they have been part of the British army, many older ex-Gurkhas do not speak good English and find navigating life in the country a challenge. After a series of 24-hour fasts by demonstrators, protest organiser Gyanraj Rai on November 7, 2013 began an all-out hunger strike to push for their demands, which start with equal pension payments for Gurkha soldiers compared to their counterparts in other parts of the British army. Gurkha protesters say that current pensions do not stretch far enough in Nepal, but William Shuttlewood, director of the GurkhaWelfare Trust charity contends that they can provide a "very good standard of living" there. Gurung disagrees. He receives a pension of around £350 a month, which he says would not be enough without extra income that he makes from a rice field. To match Story BRITAIN-GURKHAS/ Picture taken October 29, 2013. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar (NEPAL - Tags: SOCIETY MILITARY IMMIGRATION)
