Anup Sah, Photographer and Environmentalist

Padma Shri Pritam Bhartwan, Folk Singer

Padma Bhushan Bachendri Pal, Mountaineer

NAINITAL-based Sah is an acclaimed photographer whose photographs cover various aspects of the Himalayan panorama. The India International Photographic Council included him in its list of ‘Top Ten Photographers of India’ in the years 1990, 1992 to 2001 and 2003 to 2005. The 69-year-old has won several awards and over 1,500 of his photographs and slides have been exhibited at various international and national exhibitions. Among his most famous works is a picture of the Om Parvat — with the scared syllable ‘Om’ clearly delineated by the snow, visible in the rocky grooves. Sah is also an avid environmentalist and explorer. He made the first ascent of the Nanda Khat peak which lies outside the Nanda Devi sanctuary in the 1970s. He was also a member of the Askot-Arakot Trans-Himalayan Yatra in 2003 which takes place once every 10 years, as well as the Trail Pass expedition in 1992, which was successfully completed after a gap of 53 years.“It was due to my father that I started trekking in the Himalayas and observing nature. He also gifted me my first camera and soon photography became my passion. I hope that I will continue to take pictures till my last breath.”A well-known name in the pahari folk music circuit, Bhartwan is also known as ‘Jagar Samrat’ in acknowledgement of his mastery over the traditional ‘Jagar’ style of singing prevalent in the hills. Born in a village in the Raipur area of Dehradun, the 49-old started learning traditional Jagar music from his father at the age of six. He began his professional career with All India Radio in 1988 when he was just 18 years old. He has a master’s degree in folk music under his belt and is also a guest faculty at many international institutions including University of Illinois where he delivers guest lectures on pahari folk music.Bhartwan has recorded over 1000 songs and featured in over 50 albums. Most of his compositions are about local legends and deities which are invoked through the medium of Jagar music.“People are developing a deep interest in local cultures now. Our pahari culture is extremely rich and has a lot to offer to the world. That’s why I am planning to teach more local people so that they learn to embrace their culture and help spread it widely.”The first Indian woman to scale Mount Everest, Bachendri Pal, who was born in Nakuri village of Uttarkashi, got her first taste of mountaineering at the age of 12, when she scaled a 3,999 meter high peak with her friends during a school picnic. She has not looked back since then. Besides becoming the first woman from India to climb Mount Everest in 1984, 65-year-old Pal, who has trained at the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, Uttarkashi, and is currently associated with Tata Steel, has set benchmarks in various other adventure sports as well. She took part in the Great Indian Women's Rafting Voyage in 1994, which had 18 women in three rafts successfully traversing river Ganga from Haridwar to Kolkata. She also led the first ‘Indian Women Trans-Himalayan Expedition’ that had eight women trekking from the eastern part of the Himalayas in Arunachal Pradesh to the western part of the Himalayas at Siachen Glacier.“It is a pleasant surprise for me to get selected for this prestigious award. I believe that it is because of the blessings of my parents and loved ones. The award has strengthened my resolve to provide all possible support to underprivileged youth in the field of mountaineering and adventure sports.”