I am very grateful to Deepak Thapa for raising concerns about the fate of Nepali studies in Euro-America, and for his kind words about my own work over the years (‘Nepali language at SOAS’, November 25). I would like to add that much of what we achieved at SOAS University of London would not have been possible without the contribution of my colleague Krishna Pradhan. Pradhan taught Nepali at SOAS for 15 years until his own early retirement in 2019, and was greatly admired by the many students who learned so much from him. His presence at SOAS also enabled me to develop courses in Nepali literature, history and culture alongside the essential language courses. Sadly, none of this will be available to future generations of students in the UK.

Michael Hutt,
Emeritus Professor of Nepali and Himalayan Studies,
SOAS, University of London