Dateline Mussoorie: Mussoorie’s resident authors Hugh and Colleen Gantzer, the husband-and-wife duo, are being recognised for their contribution to travel journalism spanning five decades with Padma Shri on Republic Day.
Colleen Gantzer, who passed away at the age of 90 on 6th November, 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.
Talking to Newspost from Coonoor, where Hugh Gantzer lives with his son and daughter-in-law, 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 Mr Hugh Gantzer, ten years ago, says: ‘It’s great achievement that their work has found recognition and its an honour for the town.’
