Chronicle of a death not foretold

(In November 2016, Himal Southasian was forced to suspend publication after prolonged bureaucratic harassment by the Nepal government. In the following article from our final print quarterly, published in September that year, our editor Aunohita Mojumdar explained the reasons behind the decision and how this development was part of a wider phenomenon that continues to limit freedom of expression across Southasia. Since then, Himal has found itself a new home in Colombo, with publication recommencing in March 2018).

This may well be the last issue of Himal Southasian in its current incarnation that you hold in your hands. But it will certainly not be the last gasp of the magazine. The 'idea of Himal Southasian' which provided the genesis for the magazine, is far more than the sum of its parts, far more than the publishing operation run out of Kathmandu which is now being forced to shut down.

The idea conceptualised by Founding Editor Kanak Mani Dixit, contains a multitude of ideas but at its core is the idea of looking at Southasia in a way that gives space to the perspectives of peoples that do not often find expression in mainstream media. It is the idea that the region, which contains almost a quarter of the world's population, can only progress with a clear-eyed view of its challenges and recognition of its interwoven destiny. It is the idea that geographical contiguity, the cultural continuities, and the contradictions and commonalities of our recent history make a shared understanding imperative. It is however not an outlook the mainstream media cultivates.