Nepal Sirmooree 2025

160 The Late Major Jiwanbahadur Rana (Kaucha) MVO was born in Almora, India where his father, Late Subedar Major Rankeshar Rana (Kaucha), was serving in 1/3 rd Gurkha Rifles. He spent his childhood, including his initial schooling, in Dehradun and returned to his ancestral home in Bharse, Gulmi, Nepal as a teenager. One day while playing with his friends at a chautari in his village, he was approached by a gallawala who took him to Lehra, India and got him enlisted in the Brigade of Gurkhas. The day he enlisted was 7 October 1952. He was promptly shipped off to Sungai Patani in Malaysia, where he successfully completed his recruit training and joined the 2/2 nd Gurkha Rifles. As a young soldier, Major Rana made a name for himself by his physical fitness and prowess. A strong, robust and agile man, he quickly became the physical training instructor of the battalion and a key member of the shooting team. He was an excellent shot and played an instrumental role in leading and guiding the 2 GR shooting team to win the Major Unit Championship four years in a row. The following are some of the competitions won by 2/2 GR during his time in the battalion: • The very last shooting competition in Far East/ Singapore based districts 1972 • The HKSAAM 1973 - 75 • The UK Southeast District SAAM 1975 - 79 • BISLEY/RASAAM 1977 - 80 During his almost 29 years of service, Major Rana toured several countries and participated in a number of military operations, including the famous Borneo Confrontation. One of the anecdotes he was fond of telling was about how he ran after two armed bandits who were trying to flee into the jungle and captured them single-handedly. He was mighty proud of the fact that his name was mentioned in dispatches (MID) for this and other acts of gallantry and bravery. One of Major Rana’s proudest moments occurred on 13 March 1974when hewas selected to serve as a Queen’s Gurkha Orderly Officer at Buckingham Palace – a high profile and much coveted appointment that he carried out with utmost sincerity, loyalty and pride. On the successful completion of his tenure, he was decorated with a Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO) by the late Queen Elizabeth II. He then returned to his battalion and took over the post of Gurkha Major, a highly respected and prestigious position among the Gurkhas. An accomplished army officer with a distinguished military career, Major Rana exemplified the most outstanding military virtues that enabled him to attain accelerated promotions not just once but twice in his career. The culmination of his career took place on 29 April 1976 when he was promoted to Major QGO, the highest possible rank among the Gurkhas. As a reward for his exemplary service, he was awarded the rank of Honorary Lieutenant before he retired from active military service on 23 February 1981. Even after retirement, he continued to serve as an Area Welfare Officer and Area Recruiting Officer before finally retiring completely in 1990 and settling down in Sanepa, Lalitpur. This shows how proud he was of his achievements. Even though Major Rana was wheel-chair bound in the final years of his life, he never absented himself from regimental reunions. Being a true supporter of the Regimental Association, THE LATE MAJOR JIWANBAHADUR RANA (KAUCHA) MVO