The Himalayan Beacon
The Himalayan Beacon, known until 2006 simply as "BEACON", is a monthly news-magazine published in Darjeeling by The Mandalay Books India (Pvt.) Ltd., and distributed throughout Darjeeling Hills and Sikkim. It is now owned by The Mandalay Books India (Pvt.) Ltd., which publishes other periodicals, including the weekly newspaper "This Week" and "The Himalayan Traveller". "BEACON" is the largest and the first magazine to be published by and for the Darjeeling Hills. Nicknamed the "Fire Hose" for its colourful appearance and undiplomatic journalistic style, it is often regarded as a source of record, meaning that it  is frequently relied upon as the official and authoritative reference for modern events. Founded in 1998 by Barun Roy, the magazine is by far more popular among the youths of the region than the readers of other generations. The magazine's name is often abbreviated to "Beacon", due to its earlier popularity as "Beacon". Its famous motto, always printed in the upper left-hand corner of the cover page, is "News and Views on All for All." History. The first issue of "Beacon" came out on 15 January 1998. The Founding Team included: Editor: Barun Roy Sub-editors: Subash Sthapit  (Subash Sthapit later went on to become the Finance Manager of Beacon Publications which published the Magazine)and Raju Biswas (Raju Biswas later went up to be the Advertisement Manager) Advertisement Manager: Vikash Agarwal Marketing Executives: Nishan Chettri and Amina Fareedi Reporters: Prateeq Ojha, Asif Iqbal, Prashan Rai The magazine was originally published every 15th of the Month until April 1998. The paper's growing influence was seen during its very initial publication when in Jan-August 1998 a series of "Beacon" exposés targeting Bengal and the Local Administration ended the Government apathy over the retired workers of the Sidrapong Hydel  Power Station. In the later years, "Beacon" transitioned from supporting populistic politics to becoming a politically independent periodical. In 2000 the magazine ceased publication. In 2001, Beacon Publications went bankrupt and almost 90 per cent of the employees lost their jobs. Beacon Publications had to shut down its offices and "Beacon" went out of circulation for almost two years. In 2003, "Beacon" was acquired by "The Mandalay Books India Pvt. Ltd." In 2006 the magazine was restarted as an online magazine. Some of the most controversial "Beacon" articles. "Beacon" published numerous highly investigative and mostly controversial articles with international ramifications . While some of the articles like Problems Unsolved ultimately forced the West Bengal State Government to pay up all the payments that it had been holding for almost 25 years from the workers of the Historic Hydel Electric Project at Sidrapong, Darjeeling - articles like China’s claim on Indian Territory lead to major diplomatic scuffle between India and China which took years to heal. Ultimately, in 2003, China acknowledged Sikkim as an inalienable part of India. The "I am not seeking independence…", from the Dalai Lama in the June 1998 issue of "Beacon" led to a major shift in the  Foreign Policy of numerous Government all over the world, including India’s.