Pradeep Menyangbo

Surrounded by family members and loved ones, World War-II veteran Lal Bahadur Lohorung celebrated his 100th birthday at his Khadbari home on Sunday.

Friends and relatives arrived from far and wide, while Lohorung’s youngest son Krishna and his family flew in from the UK for the centennial anniversary.

Donning a jacket with a lapel badge with ‘100 years’ inscribed on it, Lohorung received gifts from his friends and relatives in exchange for his blessings.

Some of his relatives in the UK wished him over the phone.

For his age, he possesses incredible energy and unfailing mental faculty, which he proved, recounting the battles that he fought for the British East India Company and recalling the names of his fellow soldiers and commanders who served in the war.

A raconteur by nature, Lohorung told spellbound listeners the story of him being taken prisoner of war for nearly four months by the Japanese side in Burma and how he escaped to find his platoon one week after wandering in a forest.     

Born in a village of Lokepangma near Khadbari, Lohorung joined the Gorkha regiment in 1934 from Ghoom in Darjeeling, India. He spent 11 months in training before being stationed in Pakistan. His first war experience was in Kabul, where he served in the ‘First 10 Gorkha Platoon.’ During the height of WWII, his platoon was deployed in Burma to fight the Japanese soldiers.

“By the time the war ended, I had already served 12 years for the British East India Company. I returned home when the Bharat Gorkha regiment divided in 1947,” Lohorung said.

He found out both his parents were long dead when he returned to his village. It was then that he decided to retire and settle down. He married Yashoda Rai and started a family . The couple has two sons and five daughters. If one were to include all his grandchildren and great grandchildren, Lohorung will have 35 members in his family .

His son Krishna said he is amazed by his father’s energy and vitality at such an old age. “He was a chain-smoker until the age of 40 and not to mention his fondness for drinking. Despite these vices, he is perfectly healthy with no complaints of high blood pressure, sugar or cholesterol.”

Asked about the secret to his longevity, Lohorung said he eats a simple Dal Bhaat in the morning, drinks fermented alcohol, looks after the cattle, plays with his grandchildren and walks two hours every day. He looks forward to celebrate his 101st birthday with similar gusto and verve next year.

Published on: 4 March 2013 | The Kathmandu Post