Himalayan exoticism has turned out to be an economic commodity, and not just for those who live here. All kinds of Western (the term including Japanese) professionals continue to make hay under Himalayan sunshine -tour-guides, filmmakers, photographers, novelists and political scientists.
Even spies have found employment by virtue of the mysteries — mystical or otherwise — of the Himalaya. After all, the venerable Indian pundits who infiltrated Tibet in service of the Raj were not following the footsteps of Padmasambhava, the Indian sage who brought Buddhism to Tibet. And doubtless, the shenanigans of the KGB, the CIA and other services continue to provide employment in the Himalaya. Kalimpong used to be the un-challenged hotbed of international sleuths right up to the 1950s. And remember the American "mountaineers"who set up a nuclear-powered observation unit on top of Nanda Devi to monitor Chinese activities in Lop Nor?
Speaking of using Himalayan mythology to advantage, there is also the story that around the turn of the century, at the height of the "Great Game" to secure dominance over Central Asia, a Siberian lama tried to convince the thirteenth Dalai Lama to side with the Czar against the British, using the argument that Russia, being north of Tibet, was the true Shambhala of Tibetan myth.
It is undeniably true that many foreigners, particularly scholars, come to study and to empathize. Quite a few have a genuine regard for the Himalayan people and the challenges they face. In fact, some Western social scientists know more about Nepali communities and traditions than their colleagues in Tribhuvan University. But then there are always the "carpetbaggers."