Dare a Nepali from the midhills of Nepal write an article about Bhutan, more particularly an analysis of the innermost challenges before Drukpa society today? Can a Bengali do justice to Mizoram, or a Garhwali to Punjab?
Obviously, the answer is ´yes´, but only with full respect for his/her subject and the exercise of repertorial rigour. Whether these conditions are fulfilled in this issue´s lead cover feature on Druk Yul is for readers and those who are part of the story to judge.
Himal laces challenges quite different from other South Asian journals because we write from within and about a region that has not received in-depth journalistic treatment in the past. As we turn our lens on the multi-ethnic region, therefore, it is natural to step on toes that have never been stepped on before. Sensitivities are being bruised the very first time around.
It is additionally difficult for a midhill Nepali to get under the skin of Tibetan speaking societies in general, and to understand the spiritual underpinnings and urges that drive the polity of a country like Bhutan´s. But if one is to respect (northern) Bhutanese as a real and not "exotic" people, they deserve the reporter´s curiosity like any other community.