President Droupadi Murmu conferred the Padma Shri award on three distinguished individuals from Uttarakhand at the Civil Investiture Ceremony held in New Delhi. The recipients include renowned social worker Radha Bhatt and travel writers Hugh Gantzer and the late Colleen Gantzer, who were honoured in the fields of social work and literature & education respectively.
Radha Bhatt, a well-known social worker from Uttarakhand, began her journey in service at the age of 16 by joining Sarla Behn’s ashram. She has dedicated her life to working for women and children in rural Uttarakhand. She founded the Berinag Gram Swarajya Mandal to promote social and economic development programmes. Radha Bhatt was actively involved in the Chipko movement in 1975 and has previously received accolades such as the Jamnalal Bajaj Award, Godavari Award, Indira Priyadarshini Award (Environment), Muni Santbal Award, and Swami Rama Humanitarian Award.
Hugh Gantzer and his late wife Colleen Gantzer were honoured for their contributions to travel literature. Hugh, a retired Commander from the Indian Navy, and Colleen pioneered a unique style of travel writing in India. Together, they authored more than 3,000 articles, columns, and magazine features, along with over 30 books, significantly enriching the Indian travel writing landscape.
