Arc of the Gurkha

A stunning and powerful book of photographs that reveal the human face of the legendary Gurkha Brigade—no other photographer has captured their lives and individual stories so successfully The Gurkhas are an elite fighting force from Nepal who have served the British Crown since 1815. They are renowned for their loyalty, professionalism, and resolve. Through stunning photography, this book explores the span of the Gurkha career from recruitment through to training and deployment up to post-military employment and retirement. The author has accompanied the Gurkhas on operations in Afghanistan and on exercises in the Brunei jungle and Australia, and has visited all the units in the Brigade, as well as retired and medically discharged Gurkhas. She has taken intimate portraits of hundreds of soldiers and heard their stories, many of which are recounted in this book. There have been other books on the Gurkhas, but none has portrayed the individual soldiers and focused on their backgrounds, lives, and thoughts. This unique and insightful publication is the first to explore what it really means for a Gurkha to be a Gurkha. (less)