Letter from the Editor – April 2025

Hello reader,.Last year, Himal Southasian published M Rajshekhar’s investigation into Vantara, the massive and controversial wildlife centre, after almost a year of reporting and months of editorial work. Many readers immediately expected we would face legal threats in response and asked if we needed help to defend our journalism.Click below to read the Himal investigation on Vantara if you haven’t already..The costs of Reliance’s wildlife ambitions.Now, a whole wave of reports raising critical questions about Vantara have been taken down due to pressure and threats. AltNews has documented how stories published by Deccan Herald, The Telegraph, The Tribune and the Financial Express have disappeared. The webpage for a story by Scroll now states, “This article has been withheld in response to a legal demand.” The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has reported on how media outlets and wildlife conservationists with concerns over Vantara have been intimidated into silence. .We stand by the Himal investigation and will not take it down. We will resist any attempts at intimidation and the suppression of press freedom, including through legal cases, and we will fight back. We continue to defend our right to report and comment on issues of public interest, exercising press freedom and freedom of speech..We can publish independent, uncompromised, high-quality journalism because we do not rely on any government or corporate interests. We put our faith in readers like you to support our work and help us survive – and as a Himal Patron you have a big part in keeping us alive and independent. Thank you for your faith and support – we’ll keep working on more great investigations, stories and podcasts to repay your trust in Himal. You are our source of strength!.All best,Roman.Southasia Mixtape.This month I’ve been listening a lot to an old favourite from back home: Kathmandu’s own Kanta Dab Dab. .A self-described “cross-genre trio of sitar, bass and percussion”, these three musicians have developed a very distinct and very distinguished blend of contemporary and traditional sounds, drawing especially on the music of the Newar community. I know they’re not the first band out there to mix old and new, but to my ear there’s nothing quite like them out there..Send me your music recommendations here..Become a paying Himal patron for just USD 5/month and support independent journalism!