nalapaniBy Our Reporter Katha Nalapaniko” a documentary based on the glorious historical war fought by Nepal with the British East India Company was screened here on Friday, 17th June. The documentary is based on interviews with noted scholars of history from the country. Phanindra Subba has shown his excellent work as a concept writer and director on the documentary, a presentation of NEFAS. Aananda Shrestha, head of the Nepal Foundation of Advance Studies (NEFAS) citing on the plan to produce was developed to inform all about bravery of the Nepali warriors to save the country from foreign occupation. If our brave ancestors had not fought such a war, Nepal would have disappeared from the world map. The British plan was to annex Nepal and expand their business with Tibet, nevertheless, as they faced heavy casualty in spite of the fact that they were trained and equipped with advance arms whereas the Nepali warriors were fighting with only domestic arms with very less number of army compared to the British fighters. The documentary is relevant with the present context as our national security has become very weak due to the irresponsible act of the present day political leaders. DPM and Defence Minister Bhim Rawal, former ministers, intellectuals, among others, watched the documentary. The Battle of Nalapani: The Battle of Nalapani was the first battle of the Anglo-Nepalese War of 1814–1816, fought between the forces of the British East India Company and Nepal. The battle took place around the Nalapani fort, near Dehradun, which was placed under siege by the British between 31 October and 30 November 1814. The fort's garrison was commanded by Captain Balbhadra Kunwar, while Major-General Rollo Gillespie, who had previously fought in the Battle of Java, was in charge of the attacking British troops. Gillespie was killed on the first day of the siege while rallying his men and despite considerable odds, both in terms of numbers and firepower, Balbhadra and his 600-strong garrison successfully held out against more than 3,000 British troops for over a month. After two costly and unsuccessful attempts to seize the fort by direct attack, the British changed their approach and sought to force the garrison to surrender by cutting off the fort's external water supply. Having suffered three days of thirst, on the last day of the siege, Balbhadra, refusing to surrender, led the 70 surviving members of the garrison in a charge against the besieging force. Fighting their way out of the fort, the survivors escaped into the nearby hills. Considering the time, effort, and resources spent to capture the small fort, it was a pyrrhic victory for the British. A number of later engagements, including one at Jaithak, unfolded in a similar way; but more than any other battle of the war, the fighting around Nalapani established the Gurkhas' reputation as warriors. As a result, they were later recruited by the British to serve in their army.