From Sinji to Rashtrapati Bhavan: Dr. Gambir Singh Yonzone Honoured with Prestigious Padma Shri 2026 by President Droupadi Murmu”

KalimNews, May 25, 2026, Kalimpong :A proud and historic moment has arrived for the Darjeeling- Kalimpong hills and the entire Indian Gorkha community as distinguished botanist, educationist, environmentalist, and institution builder Dr. Gambir Singh Yonzone is being conferred the prestigious Padma Shri Award by the President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu, today at the Civil Investiture Ceremony-I held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.

The Padma Awards, among the highest civilian honours of India, are presented in three categories — Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri — to recognize exceptional contributions in fields such as art, literature, education, medicine, sports, science, public affairs, social work, trade, and public service. Instituted in 1954, these awards are announced annually on the occasion of Republic Day.

For the year 2026, the Government of India approved 131 Padma Awards, including 5 Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan, and 113 Padma Shri honours. The list includes 19 women awardees, 16 posthumous recipients, and several distinguished personalities from abroad, including NRIs, PIOs, and OCIs.

Among the 113 Padma Shri recipients being honoured today, Dr. G. S. Yonzone of Kalimpong stands out as a towering figure whose lifelong dedication to education, environmental protection, scientific advancement, and social service has inspired generations across the Himalayan region and beyond.

Born on November 17, 1939, in the remote village of Sinji in Kalimpong, Dr. Yonzone rose from humble beginnings to become one of the most respected academic and intellectual figures from the Darjeeling hills. His father, Shri Rithu Bahadur Yonzone, who served as Mondal of Sinji, and his mother, Smt. Chandra Maya Yonzone, played a foundational role in shaping his disciplined and service-oriented life.

Dr. Yonzone created history as the first Indian Nepali (Gorkha) to earn a Master’s degree in Botany from the University of North Bengal in 1964 and later became the first from the community to receive a Ph.D. in Botany from the University of Calcutta in 1976. His academic excellence earned him international recognition, taking him to prestigious institutions and research engagements in the United Kingdom, the United States, France, and Argentina.

Over a remarkable career spanning more than five decades, Dr. Yonzone became the first scholar from the Darjeeling hills to head both the Undergraduate and Postgraduate Departments of Botany at Darjeeling Government College. He later served as Principal of Kalimpong College and Chairman of the West Bengal School Service Commission for the Hill Region. His academic achievements also include serving as a Fulbright Senior Research Fellow and Visiting Professor at The Ohio State University in the United States, along with appointments as a Visiting Scientist in the United Kingdom.

His contributions to higher education in the hills remain transformative. Between 1962 and 1964, he played a pioneering role in establishing permanent M.Sc. programmes in Botany and Zoology at Darjeeling Government College, along with facilities for doctoral research. This visionary initiative opened the doors of advanced scientific education to generations of students, enabling more than 1,200 scholars to pursue careers in biological sciences, research, education, and public service.

Dr. Yonzone’s legacy extends far beyond academics. A passionate environmentalist, he led a historic conservation movement from 1978 to 1984 that successfully resisted the large-scale destruction of virgin forests in the Darjeeling hills by the West Bengal Forest Corporation. His tireless activism significantly contributed to the establishment of the Singalila and Neora Valley National Parks, which today remain vital ecological treasures of the Eastern Himalayas.

His commitment to grassroots social development has been equally extraordinary. In 1978, he established the R.B. Yonzone Memorial Rural Library in his native village to promote education and reading culture in rural areas. He later donated land for the establishment of Chandra Maya High School in 1983 to support underprivileged children. In 1992, he founded two animal shelters in Kalimpong and Darjeeling that continue to serve thousands of animals every year. After decades of determined effort, he also helped establish the Science Centre at Delo, Kalimpong, in 2008, creating a platform for scientific awareness and learning in the hills.

An accomplished author, researcher, and public intellectual, Dr. Yonzone has written seven books and numerous scholarly and popular articles on science, environment, education, and socio-political issues. He has also organized more than 100 conferences, seminars, and awareness programmes addressing regional and national concerns.

His immense contributions have earned him several prestigious honours over the years. He delivered the Second M.K. Baruah Memorial Lecture in 1990 and received a national honour from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad in 1992. In 1993, he was included in the Darjeeling Forest Development Committee by the Ministry of Environment and Forests and was also awarded the prestigious Fulbright Visiting Professorship at The Ohio State University. In 2001, INTACH recognized him as a “Living Treasure of Darjeeling,” while his environmental leadership was further acknowledged through the Indira Briksha Mitra Award during his tenure as Chairman of the Federation of Societies for Environmental Protection. In 2012, the Dr. G. S. Yonzone Vigyan Manch was established in his honour.

This year’s Padma Vibhushan awardees include veteran actor Dharmendra Singh Deol (Posthumous) from Maharashtra in the field of Art, Shri K.T. Thomas from Kerala in Public Affairs, renowned violinist N. Rajam from Uttar Pradesh in Art, Shri P. Narayanan from Kerala in Literature and Education, and veteran leader V.S. Achuthanandhan (Posthumous) from Kerala in Public Affairs.

The Padma Bhushan recipients for 2026 include celebrated singer Alka Yagnik, former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Bhagat Singh Koshyari, noted physician Dr. Kallipatti Ramasamy Palaniswamy, acclaimed actor Mammootty, renowned oncologist Dr. Nori Dattatreyudu from the United States, advertising legend Piyush Pandey (Posthumous), social worker S.K.M. Maeilanandhan, scholar Shatavadhani R. Ganesh, veteran leader Shibu Soren (Posthumous), industrialist Uday Kotak, and tennis icon Vijay Amritraj, among others.

The conferment of the Padma Shri upon Dr. Gambir Singh Yonzone marks not only a personal milestone but also a moment of immense pride for Kalimpong, the Darjeeling hills, and the wider Indian Gorkha community. His lifelong commitment to education, science, environmental protection, and social welfare stands as an enduring inspiration for future generations.