The Gurkha goddess goes to Nepal

Daily Mail:

Leaning heavily on his carved walking stick, occasionally pausing for breath on the mountain track, the old Gurkha struggled on towards his goal - to hug his 'goddess', Joanna Lumley.

And when the 84-year-old veteran of the Burma jungles finally came face to face with the actress yesterday, he brought tears to her eyes when she learned of his journey to give her his thanks.

Harka Bahadur Pun's pilgrimage from his village in western Nepal to Kathmandu involved an agonising six-hour trek along stony tracks to a village where he could catch a bus for the 12-hour journey to the mountain republic's capital.

'You ask why an old man like me would want to do this,' he said. 'But before I die I made a promise to myself that I would come here one way or another to meet this wonderful woman called Joanna Lumley.'

Miss Lumley, 63, is in Nepal to meet retired Gurkhas, many of whom now have the right to take up residence in the UK following her victory in May.

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The Gurkhas are some of the bravest most determined fighters in the world and I am glad to see the British are finally allowing them to immigrate to the country they have fought so hard for. There are some interesting photos of the visit. It is hard to overlook the mutual affection. Her father fought with Gurkha troops in World War II against the Japanese.