Support independent Southasian journalism

As a non-profit magazine, Himal has no corporate ownership, no government funding, no dependence on advertising from any business or political party. Reader support is how we guarantee that we remain fully independent.

As a reader in Southasia, you can read everything we publish for free. But independent journalism is not free to produce. If you value what we do and want it to continue, becoming a Patron is the best way to help.

As a reader in Southasia, you can access all of Himal’s work paywall-free, regardless of whether or not you are a Patron. We paywall content for readers outside Southasia to help raise the revenues we need to keep our journalism alive. That paywall revenue subsidises our work, but we need voluntary support from Patrons in the region too.

Lower average incomes and a lack of cross-border payment instruments (e.g. international credit cards) in Southasia mean a large share of readers within the region cannot pay to support Himal’s journalism. Paywalling our work in Southasia would cut these readers off, hindering our core mission and limiting the impact of our work in the region that needs it most. By paywalling our content only outside Southasia, we’re asking readers in other parts of the world to support Himal and subsidise free access to our independent journalism for everyone in the region. And we continue to ask readers in Southasia who can pay to also become Patrons to support the magazine.

This is not about restricting access. It is about achieving the financial conditions that make independent, public-interest journalism possible. We ask readers who can pay to do so in support of readers who cannot.

All Himal Patrons receive access to our patron-only WhatsApp community and an invitation to our Patrons Quarterly Meet, an exclusive online call with the Himal editorial team. Southasia Star and Southasia Superstar Patrons also receive our iconic Right-Side Up Map and a pack of Himal stickers. Southasia Superstar Patrons additionally receive one gift subscription a year to share.

A credit card is the fastest way to set up a Patron plan, but we try our best to accommodate other payment options too. Email us at patrons@himalmag.com and we can organise a direct bank transfer. Unfortunately we cannot accept cash payments.

We offer group and institutional memberships for universities, research institutions, civil-society organisations, newsrooms and businesses looking to read and support Himal. Write to us at patrons@himalmag.com to find out more.

Yes! You can purchase a gift Patron membership for anyone you think should be reading Himal. The recipient gets a redemption link and can activate their Patron membership without entering payment details. To purchase a gift membership, visit our gift membership page.