Does anybody want a village khukuri?

Speaking about railroad rails, allow me to digress a bit - it's story-time again!

Dad's Gurkha battalion was being posted from one end of India to another, the whole outfit, including family, traveling in a train. The train had stopped in a railway station somewhere in central India when the gurkhas noticed a heap of railroad rails lying unused in a yard nearby. The Subedar (a Gurkha Officer) came excitedly to the Colonel, made a request, it was forwarded to the railway officials, permission granted and within moments a bunch of gurkhas were hauling those rails into the train.

I was about 9-10 and curiously asked what was happening. I was told - "This is good steel, they'll make great khukuris. Our kamis are going to be very happy with these!" The rails, in due course were sent to the regimental kamis and returned as brand new khukuris for the next batch of recruits. Since then I noticed that the gurkhas always kept an eye out for sources of inexpensive steel, especially car springs and railroad rails, for the kamis who made their khukuris.

- Sonam "childhood memories getting jogged"

[This message has been edited by gtkguy (edited 03 May 1999).]
 
An old karate teacher of mine, who is in the military (USAF) has a khukuri that he said was given to him and was made from British rail road steel. I'm no expert or knives, let along khukuris, but something just fealt "right" about that knife when I held it.

I'm drewling, wishing I had the extra $$$ sitting around to buy a good khukuri. Oh well, guess I'll just have to save & wait!

Dave.
 
Thanks, Sonam. Kamis generally know what steel will work and what won't. HI happens to think that springs work best and we have access to them so that's what we use. Using the same type steel all the time gives consistency to the khukuris.

Uncle Bill
 
BTW, when I first started collecting and finally could tell a good knife from 'bad', I was told that the particular (Indian)khukuris I was interested in were good because they were made from railroad tracks. The bad were all mass produced 'from the city'.

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JP
 
Dave, someone was asking about training with khukuris, and Ghostsix said that in the zen sense the blade will teach you. He's right. And that's what you noticed when you held that khukuri. I swear that when I pick up a good khukuri it neurologically programs my subconcious in how it should be used.
 
Rusty, you would be surprised at the number of people who tell me the same thing. I am sort of a doubting Thomas (like Kami who became a believer after he cut his finger at the Reno airport) but I believe it has something to do with the blessing of the blades.

Uncle Bill
 
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