ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the hitherto understudied experiences of Gurkha families, and in doing so, demonstrates how the Singapore Gurkha Contingent (SGC) figures in Singapore government took wider initiative to sustain a multiracial and harmonious society. The SGC located beside the Mount Vernon crematorium grimly mirrors the nature of their service and memories of Singapore. There are various activities that Gurkhas engage in upon repatriation, from embarking on a second career to doing samaj sewa. For them, one main priority upon return is to invest in property in Nepal with the Central Provident Fund (CPF) savings that they earned while serving in Singapore. The Gurkhas know that they will eventually return to Nepal and the elaborate initiatives adopted by the Singapore government vis-a-vis the Mount Vernon Camp also act to undermine the development of a Singaporean identity. The Singapore Gurkhas and their families bring to the fore a lacuna apparent in the existing conceptual framework of diaspora studies.
