Khukuri business loses shine as Nepal Gorkhas shun Agnipath

DEHRADUN: The Nepal govt's move to bar its Gorkhas from joining Indian Army's seven Gorkha regiments under the Agnipath scheme has impacted khukuri suppliers, especially in Uttarakhand, where most of them are located.

There are around 32,000 Gorkhas, including Nepal-domiciled and Indians, serving in the Gorkha Brigade, with the former making up nearly 60% of the strength.All of them carry the iconic khukuri as one of their service weapons. Following Nepal govt's decision after the pandemic to shun Agnipath, there has been no recruitment of Gorkhas from the neighbouring country for the past four years.

This has dulled the khukuri-making industry. A supplier based in Garhi Cantonment area of Dehradun told TOI that business has dipped by almost 50-60% in the past few years.
'Demand for showpiece khukuris keeping biz going'
Earlier, our annual supply was nearly 5,000 but it has now come down by more than half. As recruitment in Gorkha Brigade and our supply are inter-related, it was no surprise that our business got impacted, said a khukuri supplier, whose firm has been supplying the curved blades to four Gorkha training centres in India for over five decades.

Vikas Raj Thapa, who runs a khukuri firm, said while business has been hit, they have been able to make up some of the losses thanks to greater awareness about the weapon on social media.
"Due to social media, people now know that we are makers of this blade, which is synonymous with Gorkha culture. People have been calling us for blunt ones to keep in their temples and at home as a showpiece. Without this interest shown by the public, our business would have been affected even more," he said.

He recalled that when his father used to run the family business, they had around 20 workers, which has now come down to eight. Business is down and skilled workers are hard to come by, he said, pointing out that making a perfect khukuri is an art.
"One has to hit the right spot on the metal to get the perfect curve. Machine-made ones cost around Rs 800 while the traditional hand-made one, which is now rare in India, is upwards of Rs 3,000," Thapa added.

Colonel Jiwan Kumar Chhetri (retd), a Gorkha officer who served in Rajputana Rifles for nearly 40 years, said, "Recruitment of Nepal-domiciled Gorkhas in Gorkha Brigade is more of an economic issue for Nepal as it supports their GDP and gives employment to their youth. In India, it is a strategic issue as Gorkhas need no introduction when it comes to valour and courage. Having said that, Indian govt is working to address the issue by focusing on recruitment of Indian Gorkhas from areas like North Bengal and Uttarakhand. We are hoping that a viable solution would soon be worked out."