Major General Giri Prasad Burathoki was a

Gurkha The Gurkhas or Gorkhas (), with endonym Gorkhali ), are soldiers native to the Indian Subcontinent, chiefly residing within Nepal and some parts of Northeast India. The Gurkha units are composed of Nepalis and Indian Gorkhas and are recruit ...

officer and Nepalese

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

. He was born in 1898 at Bharse,

Gulmi District Gulmi District ( ne, गुल्मी जिल्ला), 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, 2 ...

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

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

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He showed great bravery and distinguished service during his military career with the British for which he was conferred the title of ''"Sardar Bahadur"'' and was awarded the

Order of British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

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

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

and many other medals. He retired as an "Honorary Captain" of the

British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...

. On his return home, he was made the District Commissioner of Gulmi District from 1951 to 1956. 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 ( ne, श्री ५ महाराजाधिराज महेन्द्र वीर विक्रम शाह देव; 11 June 1920 – 31 January 1972) was the King of Nepal from 13 March 1955 until h ...

, but he was later nominated to the National Panchayat and made an Assistant Minister. He won successive elections and served as the first

Defense Minister A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

of Nepal for nearly a decade. For his service to the nation, he was conferred the medals of the

Order of Tri Shakti Patta The Most Illustrious Order of Tri Shakti Patta ( ne, त्रिशक्ति पट्ट; 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 citi ...

Class I and

Order of Gorkha Dakshina Bahu The Most Puissant Order of the Gorkha Dakshina Bahu ( ne, गोरखा दक्षिण बाहु; 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 ...

Class I. He was also conferred the title of Honorary Major General of the Nepal Army. He died in 1981. His elder son, late Colonel Shri Prasad Burathoki also joined the

and later the

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

and after his retirement served as a Minister of State of

Nepal Government Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...

. 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 Rana dynasty ( ne, राणा वंश, IAST=Rāṇā vaṃśa , ) is a Chhetri dynasty that imposed totalitarianism in the Kingdom of Nepal from 1846 until 1951, reducing the Shah monarch to a figurehead and making Prime Minister and other ...

, retired from the Nepal Army after a long distinguished service.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burathoki, Giri Prasad 1898 births 1981 deaths People from Gulmi District Gurkhas Nepalese generals Government 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