Training academies – and unscrupulous agents – are cashing in on young men preparing for this month’s feared ‘doko race’ to secure a lucrative British army job
Long before the sun rises above the towering Himalayan peaks that overlook Pokhara in central Nepal, scores of young men gather in the dark on the edge of the town to train for the race of a lifetime.
At the starter’s signal, they charge off, first heaving a 25kg sack of sand into a “doko” wicker basket on their backs, and then starting a gruelling 5km race up the steep mountainside. Finish in less than 46 minutes and they have a chance to join the Gurkhas, the legendary brigade of the British army.
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Written by Pete Pattisson in Pokhara
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/jan/22/hopefuls-pay-out-thousands-rupees-chase-gurkha-glory-nepal under the title “Hopefuls pay out thousands of rupees to chase Gurkha glory in Nepal | Pete Pattisson”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
