Giri Prasad Burathoki (1898 – 1981) was an officer in the

British Indian Army The Indian Army was the force of British Raj, British India, until Indian Independence Act 1947, national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and ...

and later a

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

ese

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

. He is noted for serving as the first Defence Minister of Nepal.

Early life and military service

He was born in 1898 at Bharse,

Gulmi District Gulmi District (), a part of Lumbini Province, is one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal. The district, with Tamghas as its headquarters, covers an area of , had a population of 296,654 in 2001, 280,160 in 2011 and 268,597 in 2016. Intro ...

. He left his village at a young age to join the British Indian Army and was involved in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. His surname is also spelled as 'Budathoki' and 'Budhathoki'.

Military Service

Burathoki served as a non-commissioned officer in the

5th Royal Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force) 5th Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force), also abbreviated as 5 GR(FF) is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army comprising Gurkha soldiers of Nepalese origin. It was formed in 1858 as part of the British Indian Army. The regiment's battalions serve ...

. His service number was 4838. Burathoki showed great bravery and distinguished service during his military career with the British. For his service, he was conferred the title of ''"''

Sardar Bahadur Sardar Bahadur was a title of honour awarded to native Indian civilians and Viceroy's commissioned officer, Viceroy's commissioned officers during British Raj, British rule in India. It was bestowed upon Sikhs, and was awarded for faithful service ...

''"'' , was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level until 1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth of ...

, and was appointed to the

Order of British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

and the

Order of British India The Order of British India was an Order (honour), order of merit established in 1837 by the British East India Company, East India Company for "long, faithful and honourable service". The company's powers were removed after the Indian Mutiny, ...

. He retired as a Subedar Major, and was made an Honorary Captain. His appointment as a Member of the Order of the British Empire was published in The London Gazette on 19 October, 1944.

Views on the British Indian Army and the Ranas

Burathoki expressed some criticism of both the British Indian Army and of the Rana regime in Nepal. He said that his British commanding officers in Burma, while loving and caring, kept the Gurkhas on a tight leash, did not allow them to mix with Indian soldiers, and allowed only shaven heads (with a 'chutia') and minimal education among the soldiers. The Ranas, he said, had been oppressive at home, i.e., in Nepal.

Post-retirement

Once he returned to Nepal, he served as the Treasurer to the Nepal Ex-Servicemen's Organisation. He was a pensioner of the

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

Return to Nepal and roles in Nepalese politics

On his return home, Burathoki was made the District Commissioner of Gulmi District from 1951 to 1956. He was the only "Bada Hakim" (a powerful district governor position instituted during the Rana rule in Nepal) from the Magar community. Thereafter, he was elected as a Member of Parliament from Gulmi District in 1959 and also served the first Speaker of the House. The House was dissolved by

King Mahendra Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev (; 11 June 1920 – 31 January 1972) was King of Nepal from 13 March 1955 until his death in 1972. He led the 1960 Nepal coup d'état, 1960 coup d'état, in which he dismissed the government, jailed other political ...

, but he was later nominated to the National Panchayat and made an Assistant Minister.

Minister in the Nepal government

Burathoki won successive elections and served as the first

Defense Minister A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

of Nepal for nearly a decade, during King Mahendra's reign. In the aftermath of the

1962 Sino-Indian War The Sino–Indian War, also known as the China–India War or the Indo–China War, was an armed conflict between China and India that took place from October to November 1962. It was a military escalation of the Sino–Indian border dispu ...

in the Himalayas, Indo-Nepal relations became strained. Burathoki visited India in a process to ease these tensions. In November 1966, King Mahendra sent Burathoki to New Delhi for securing armaments from India. Besides, during this visit he made courtesy calls on the Indian President S. Radhakrishnan and Prime Minister

Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and stateswoman who served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 un ...

on November 6, 1966. In Kathmandu, as Defence Minister, Burathoki likewise received courtesy calls, visits, and invitations to events in the city from ministers and diplomatic officers from several countries, including China, the United States, and the United Kingdom. As Minister, at certain points of time, he also held the portfolios of Forest, Agriculture, Food, Industry and Commerce. In the early 1960s he had also served as an Assistant Minister for Health.

Nepalese honours

For his service to the nation, Burathoki was conferred the medals of the

Order of Tri Shakti Patta The Most Illustrious Order of Tri Shakti Patta (; Order of the Three Divine Powers) is an order of knighthood of the former Kingdom of Nepal. It is conferred on members of the royal family or Nepali citizens who make outstanding contributions to th ...

Class I and

Order of Gorkha Dakshina Bahu The Most Puissant Order of the Gorkha Dakshina Bahu (; Order of the Gurkha Right Arm ''or Hand'') was an order of knighthood of Nepal. It was one of the highest honors given traditionally by the king. It was awarded to both the military and civili ...

Class I by Nepal's erstwhile royal government. He was also conferred the title of Honorary Major General of the Nepal Army.

Children and later life

Burathoki's elder son, late Colonel Shri Prasad Burathoki also joined the

and later the

and after his retirement served as Tourism Minister for the

Nepal Government Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

. His younger son, Major General Nara Bahadur Burathoki, who was the first Magar Major General of Nepalese Army after the fall of the Rana dynasty, retired from the Nepal Army after a long distinguished service. He died in 1981.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burathoki, Giri Prasad 1898 births 1981 deaths People from Gulmi District Gurkhas Nepalese generals Ministers of defence of Nepal State ministers of Nepal Members of the Order of the British Empire Members of the Order of Gorkha Dakshina Bahu, First Class Recipients of the Military Cross Members of the Order of Tri Shakti Patta, First Class Members of the Rastriya Panchayat Nepal MPs 1959–1960 Nepalese expatriates in India Nepalese recipients of the Military Cross Nepalese recipient of the Order of British India Nepalese members of the Order of the British Empire Sardar Bahadurs Nepali Army British Indian Army officers