India, April 16 -- From World War trenches to high-altitude patrols, and now well into their centenarian years, these warriors - my comrades, my teachers, my brothers - carry their legacy with the same quiet pride as they once did a khukuri

In my nearly 66 years of trekking and travelling in Nepal, from a Second Lieutenant to a General, in every rank, I have savoured Nepal at its best - from dawn to dusk and at night glow with fireflies. Especially meeting Nepal's greatest gift to mankind, the Gorkha soldier. His name is emblematic of everything tough, brave and never to be messed with - and not for the fainthearted.

The khukuri, madal, share, Khukuri rum, Gorkha beer and the list goes on; are all synonymous with the soldier. Whether du...