Explained: Why Gorkha soldiers wear their hat rakishly

With India getting a new Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Lt General Anil Chauhan (retired) nine months after former CDS General Bipin Rawat passed away in a helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu, the 11 Gorkha Rifles are in the spotlight again.

With 30,000 Gorkha soldiers in 39 battalions split into nine regiments, India has plenty of these brave warriors who have served the nation.

But have you ever wondered why Gorkha soldiers wear their hats so rakishly?

Let’s take a closer look:

As per Daily O,  the signature headgear called the “Gorkha terai hat” gets its name from the Terai region of Nepal.

Worn on guard duty and parades, the wide-brimmed hat is made of khaki-coloured felt. The chinstrap that holds the hat together is tilted low on the right side so that the brim touches the ear.

But why is it worn that way you may well ask?

Tradition mainly.

However, there are other reasons.

As per defence website SSB Crack, their genetics – being shorter than soldiers from other parts of India – are at least partly to blame.

“This explains the short strap so as to make them seem equal as the cap for shorter soldiers do not fit to taller ones. The size of the cap and strap is not altered for any soldier and is kept same as a Gorkha tradition,” the website states.

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Then, there’s the theory that Gorkhas are extremely talkative.

The strap, placed right under the lips and being continuously pulled up, makes it difficult to talk, the theory posits.

“Even during war, the Gorkha men screamed and charged into battle and this alerted the enemies. The Gorkha regiment couldn’t launch surprise attacks due to this character. Despite lot of training, some Gorkha soldiers found it difficult to inhibit this nature. So the commander of a Gorkha regiment instructed soldiers to wear the straps under their chin so they would be reminded not to scream when they get into attack mode. This is continued even now by the 5th Gorkha Rifles. It reminds them to “speak with your actions.” And later this hat became the identity of the Gorkhas,” the website states.

‘Feel lighter’

In 2020, General Bipin Rawat, incidentally also from the 11 Gorkha Rifles, taking charge as India’s first Chief of Defence Staff, referring to the Gorkha hat he used to wear as army chief being replaced by the peaked cap part of his new uniform, said his head was feeling lighter.

“My head is feeling lighter because I have had to take off the so-called angled Gorkha hat which I have been wearing for 41 years. I have come back to the peak because this peaked cap that I am wearing is to say that we are now neutral. The CDS will remain neutral. He will remain neutral to all the three services, within his own service. Therefore my head is feeling lighter.”

On Independence Day in August 2012, seven Gorkha regiments adopted a painting with the silhouette of a Gorkha soldier resplendent in his trademark hat as their official emblem, as per Mid-Day.

The creator of this emblem, rifleman Padam Bahadur Thapa (21) from the 4th battalion of 3 Gorkha Rifles, was killed in battle during the 1999 Kargil War.

A senior officer from the Gorkha Brigade told the newspaper, “Rifleman Padam Bahadur Thapa was with the intelligence section of his battalion. He painted a crest that depicted the fresco of a gallant Gorkha jawan on a large rock at the edge of the parade ground at Almora district, Uttarakhand. The slanted Gorkha hat silhouetted with the face of a Gorkha soldier epitomises the clean, upright and calm demeanour of a fighter, known for his ferocity. This symbol has been chosen by the entire Gorkha Brigade of the Indian Army as its Emblem.”

With inputs from agencies

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