The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) has introduced the first-ever ‘Spirit of the Hills Awards’ to honour individuals and organisations who have made contributions across various fields in the Darjeeling hills.
The awards were presented on Sunday at Ghum station as part of the ongoing DHR Winter Festival 2025, which began on November 29. It will continue until December 7.
“This event marks a major milestone in the DHR’s effort to recognise individuals, institutions, and community organisations contributing to education, heritage, tourism, environmental protection and social transformation across the Darjeeling hills,” said Rishav Choudhary, the DHR director.
According to officials, each award was symbolically inspired by the legacy and strength of the DHR’s 13 iconic steam locomotives.
They were presented across four broad categories — student and educational excellence, environment and sustainability, social service and community impact, and heritage and tourism.
Some of the awarded persons and organisations were Kavya Subedi of Sunrise High School for her outstanding academic performance and overall excellence within the DHR region (Iron Sherpa Award), Devesh Pandey, the divisional forest officer of Kurseong forest division, for his exemplary leadership in environmental conservation (Forest Whisperer Award), Nilima Tamang of the Association for Conservation of Tourism for her work in women’s empowerment across the hills (Victor Award), and the adventure tourism division of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) for their contribution to heritage and tourism initiatives (Bronco Award).
This festival features cultural performances, heritage exhibitions and immersive steam locomotive experiences showcasing the century-old mountain railway.
“We will host a ‘Heritage Run’ scheduled for December 5, which will take participants from Darjeeling Chowrasta (Mall) to Ghum station. The festival’s closing ceremony will be held at Chowrasta on December 7,” said an official.
DHR sources said this year’s winter festival held a special significance as the global railway community has been celebrating 200 years of railways.
The first train service started between Stockton and Darlington, UK, on September 27, 1825.