By Dr TANIA SAILI BAKSHI
MUSSOORIE, 27 Jan: Mussoorie’s resident authors Hugh and Colleen Gantzer, the husband-and-wife duo have been awarded the prestigious Padma Shri in recognition of their contribution to travel journalism spanning five decades.
Colleen Gantzer, who passed away at the age of 90 on November 6, last year will receive the award posthumously.
Pioneers in travel writing, the dedication of Hugh and Colleen to document India’s diverse heritage and hidden gems has been reflected in their 30-plus books, thousands of articles, and 52 documentaries broadcast on Doordarshan.
Together as a team, their spirit of adventure remained unwavering. They have been recognised with accolades and garnered numerous awards such as the Gold Awards from the Pacific Asia Travel Association and National Tourism Lifetime Achievement Award amongst others.
The duo were regular contributors to various travel and hospitality magazines, periodicals and Garhwal Post since inception. Their collective work inspired wanderlust in readers, and will be remembered as a trailblazer in the world of travel writing.
Hugh Gantzer, presently spending his winters in Kochi, where he stays with his son Peter, daughter-in-law and granddaughter Judy, said he was happy to be receiving the award and would be ‘home’ in Mussoorie in the coming summer.
Author Ganesh Saili, who took over as Hony. Secretary of the old Mussoorie Library (estb:1853) from Hugh Gantzer, ten years ago, says: ‘It’s great achievement that their work has found recognition and its an honour for the town.’
