Fifteen achievers from across Uttarakhand — a decorated soldier honoured after death, a Bollywood actress, a folk singer, an international cricketer — walked into the spotlight at Parade Ground, Dehradun on 6 November 2026, as the state marked its annual Rajyotsav (Foundation Day) with its highest civilian recognition, the Uttarakhand Gaurav Samman Puraskar-2026.

Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami jointly conferred the awards, honouring individuals for 'distinguished contributions to the state's development, social service, education, medicine, arts, culture, environment, and sports,' the Chief Minister's Office announced.

A posthumous salute to Major General Khanduri

The most solemn moment of the evening belonged to the family of Major General Bhuvan Chandra Khanduri (Retd.), who received the award posthumously for his exceptional contribution to politics and governance. A decorated army officer who rose to become Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Khanduri's legacy of service — in uniform and in office — made his posthumous recognition a fitting centrepiece for a Foundation Day that celebrates the state's 26-year journey.

Medicine, cinema, and the voice of the hills

In medicine, Dr. Jeevan Singh Titiyal was honoured for his remarkable contributions to the health sector. The world of Hindi cinema was represented by veteran actress Himani Shivpuri, widely recognised for a career spanning theatre and film. Manmohan Bhardwaj was acknowledged for entrepreneurship, while Dr. Girish Ranjan Tiwari was recognised for his work in education and journalism.

Two names defined the ceremony's cultural register: Hemma Negi Karasi, celebrated for her contribution to lok jagar (traditional Garhwali ritual singing), and Reshma Shah, honoured for folk singing — both emblematic of an Uttarakhand culture that often risks being drowned out by the mainstream.

Social service, the environment, and five sporting champions

Anita Thapliyal Sharma and Kashmir Singh were recognised for social service, while environmentalist Suresh Bhai received the award for conservation work in a state whose ecology sits at the headwaters of the Ganga and the Yamuna — making environmental stewardship a matter of national consequence.

Five athletes completed the list, each having 'illuminated the state's name at national and international levels': cricketer Ekta Bisht, hockey international Vandana Katariya, and sportswomen Ankita Dhyani, Nikita Chand, and Kapil Pokharia. Vandana Katariya, who made history as one of India's most capped women's hockey players, and Ekta Bisht, who has represented India in women's cricket, bring genuine global pedigree to a state award that is growing in stature with every edition.

Twenty-six years, one Gaurav Samman at a time

Uttarakhand became India's 27th state on 9 November 2000, carved from Uttar Pradesh. The Rajyotsav each November is both a birthday party and a stocktaking — and the Gaurav Samman has evolved into the state's clearest statement of who it considers its heroes. The CMO's announcement noted that the award is designed not only to honour the recipients but also 'to inspire the new generation towards active participation in society and state development.'

With a Union Cabinet minister sharing the stage and 15 names from fields as varied as glacier conservation and international hockey, Uttarakhand's 2026 Foundation Day sent a pointed message: the hills produce more than pilgrimage routes and hill-station tourism — they produce people worth celebrating.