Renowned travel writer and Padma Shri awardee Hugh Gantzer was cremated in Mussoorie on Wednesday. Gantzer passed away on Tuesday at the age of 94 at his residence, Oak Brook, situated on Kincraig Library Road in Mussoorie.
Family members, close friends, and officers of the Indian Navy attended the cremation ceremony at the cemetery on Camel Back Road to pay their final respects to Gantzer.
A guard of honour was given to his coffin before the last rites. Political leaders, social organisations, writers, and local residents also expressed their condolences.
A former Commander in the Indian Navy, Gantzer chose Mussoorie as his permanent residence after retirement. He, along with his wife, Colleen Gantzer, reshaped travel writing in India. For more than five decades, the couple highlighted India’s lesser-known destinations, heritage, and cultural richness for readers around the world.
Together, Hugh and Colleen Gantzer authored more than 30 books. They also wrote thousands of articles, and produced 52 travel documentaries that were broadcast on Doordarshan. In acknowledgment of their exceptional contribution to travel journalism, the couple received the Padma Shri award in 2025.
Colleen Gantzer passed away on November 6, 2024.
Although the couple was awarded the Padma Shri in 2025, Hugh Gantzer could not attend the ceremony because of ill health. Later, the state’s Home Secretary, Shailesh Bagoli, presented the award to him at his residence.
Hugh Gantzer will be remembered for his dedication to protecting Mussoorie’s environment. Due to his efforts, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had to impose a ban on mining in the region. As a member of a Supreme Court-monitored panel, he played a key role in safeguarding the area from ecological damage.
About his early life
Hugh Gantzer was born on January 9, 1931, in Patna. He studied at Hampton Court School and St George’s College in Mussoorie, followed by St Joseph’s School in Nainital, St Xavier’s College in Calcutta, and KC Law College in Mumbai.
Colleen Gantzer was from Godhra in Gujarat. The couple met in Mumbai and married in 1960. Hugh also served in the Indian Navy before retiring and settling permanently in Mussoorie. His father, J.F. Gantzer, served as Administrator and Chairman of the Mussoorie Municipal Board during the British era from 1941 to 1943.
In one interview, Gantzer shared how their journey into travel writing began. “I had travelled a lot and wanted to write. Colleen did not enjoy writing but loved travelling. So, we made a deal. I would travel, Colleen would write, and that is how we became travel writers,” he had said.
Also Read: Hugh Gantzer honoured with Padma Shri at his Mussoorie home
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