In the wake of 'The Mary Slusser' expose by @artcrimeprof.bsky.social in @himalsouthasian.bsky.social, in my latest column, I argue that it's time to dismantle the colonial mindset that gave foreign scholars authority over our heritage. The ball is in our court.

nepalitimes.com/the-mary-slu...

Where did the sacred artifacts smuggled out of Nepal by Mary Slusser end up? One answer is... a flea market. I explain in this video.

My latest investigation on stolen cultural heritage now out from @himalsouthasian.bsky.social. I followed the tracks of Mary Slusser, an American academic who thought she was “saving” Nepal’s culture by smuggling sacred artifacts out of the country - killing at least one ritual.

In 1965, an American scholar bought her first stolen god from two boys outside a Kathmandu temple. Grains of rice were still stuck to it — offerings from worshippers. She paid less than $2 and wrote in her diary: "I don't think the temple will miss it at all." 🧵
www.himalmag.com/mary-slusser...

It's finally out! www.himalmag.com/mary-slusser...

My latest article, The Architecture of Apathy, asks a question that's been sitting with me for a while: why does heritage in Nepal only make headlines once it's already gone?

kathmandupost.com/columns/2026...

DEADLINE EXTENDED until MARCH 10

We invite presentations from diverse fields, including activism, journalism, archiving, and more!
Submit a 300-word abstract on any relevant theme by March 10 to [email protected] (1/5)

For the Stoic philosopher Epictetus, the only thing we can totally control, and therefore the only thing we should ever worry about, is our own judgment about what is good.

We invite presentations from diverse fields, including activism, journalism, archiving, and more! Read more themes and contexts at bit.ly/icrch2025

Submit a 300-word abstract on any relevant theme by March 1, 2025 to [email protected]. (4/4)
#RecoveryofHeritage

Open Call and Announcement
The Nepal Heritage Recovery Campaign, in coordination with the Government of Nepal’s Department of Archaeology is organising the ‘International Conference on Recovery of Cultural Heritage’ in 16-18 June 2025. (1/4)

#ICRCH #ICRCH2025

Just finished my second Vipassana. This time's lesson: The mind is a wild terrain—untamed, vast, & free. Navigating it requires courage, the art of love, & the wisdom to let go without fear. All along, you were blooming unknowingly—gently, rooted in compassion that transforms all it touches. 🌸🤍

Just finished #Meditations by #MarcusAurelius. At the heart of every philosophy & religion is one truth—embracing life’s impermanence. There’s beauty in letting go, accepting that nothing lasts forever. It’s a reminder that sometimes surrendering to that flow brings peace.

#PagesToFinale #Books

A new app, a new energy, a new interest and a new beginning. Looking forward to a brand new year!