BHARATPUR: The book ‘Kalsanga Kusti’, which captures Captain Ash Bahadur Gurung’s battle against stage-four prostate cancer in his 80s, was launched at the Rampur Banquet in Bharatpur on Saturday.
By embracing a holistic approach to healing through Ayurveda, modern medicine, and meditation, he is now leading a normal life.
A medical report from the New Delhi-based Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre (page 90 of the book) states that Captain Gurung is now ‘clinically cancer-free.’
Authored by former UN Communication Specialist and media educator Chun Bahadur Gurung, the book is composed of eight chapters, each featuring relevant references and photographs that bring to life Captain Gurung’s early life, livelihood, struggles, and triumphs.
The biography narrates his experiences as a warrior who served in the British Army for nearly three decades, braving fierce battles on the Indonesia-Malaysia border, undergoing training in the US, and later working in Britain and Brunei.
The book includes a foreword by Prof. Dr. Ganesh Man Gurung, the Chancellor of Gandaki University, and has been reviewed by esteemed figures such as Dr. Kundan Aryal, Head of the Central Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at Tribhuvan University, New York Times reporter Bhadra Sharma, and sociologist Dr. Dil Bahadur Gurung.
The launch event was attended by the Chief Minister of Bagmati Province, Honourable Bahadur Singh Lama, who served as the chief guest.
Speaking at the event, Lama said, “This book includes his experiences from adulthood to old age. It provides profound wisdom to readers, and I am confident that it will serve as a source of inspiration for me personally. I extend my best wishes for his continued health and longevity.”
Even after retirement, Captain Gurung remained committed to social services, which include, but are not limited to, the establishment of the Tamu Bauddha Sewa Samiti, providing shelter and education to orphaned children during the Maoist conflict, and contributing through Rotary International.
The book release coincided with Captain Gurung’s 84th birthday, making the event even more special as he was present to witness this momentous occasion. On the occasion, Captain Gurung also donated 1.5 million rupees to an orphanage and old-age home.
Beyond being a personal memoir, the book offers insights into the Gurung community, Nepali society at the time, the struggles of Lahure culture, and the racial discrimination faced by the Gurkhas.
Captain Gurung said, “It took almost two years to publish this book. I am deeply grateful to biographer Gurung for writing about my life.”
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