Past Winners

Rashmi Singh is a PhD Scholar at the School of Human Ecology, Ambedkar University Delhi. With her research work, she examines the politics of rangeland conservation in the Indian Himalaya region and advocates for pastoralist communities and their participation in rangeland policies and management. She explores how pastoral cultures, and their contemporary ecological realities respond to the ‘science’ of biodiversity conservation. For her PhD research, Miss Singh uses an interdisciplinary approach and employs political ecology and ecological analysis to understand the long-term social as well as ecological responses to a ‘grazing ban policy’ implemented by the state government of Sikkim. Her parallel work is about understanding the relations between wildlife conservation and pastoralism across the Eastern and Western Indian Himalayan region. She has a master’s degree in Environment and Development. Rashmi is an Associate Editor at Pastoralism- Research, Policy and Practice, and a Research Affiliate at PASTRES-Pastoralism, Uncertainty, Resilience, IDS, University of Sussex-UK.

Trishna Acharya has completed her MA (Journalism & Mass Communication) from Tribhuvan University with first class division. Her research interest mainly lies in “Significance of Intrapersonal Communication in Human and Environmental Management” for which she did her preliminary research study for her Master’s Thesis as “Significance of Intrapersonal Communication in Hinduism”. In her Master’s Thesis, she studied human physiology and psychology using phenomenology research methodology to understand how intrapersonal levels of communication impact other levels of communication and society as a whole, using Hinduism as a sample of study. In the case of the earthquake her research interest lies in “Significance of sound Intrapersonal communication to heal Post earthquake social psychology”. To develop methodology for this research purpose, she continues her studies in this field.

Vivek G Babu currently works as a Junior Research Fellow in a seismology group at Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), Dehradun, India. He completed his graduation in Physics from Kerala University, and then finished his post-graduation in Marine Geophysics from Cochin University of Science And Technology (CUSAT). He is currently working on a project titled, “Geodynamics and seismicity investigation in North West Himalayas.” His main focus is on Seismic hazard implications and characterization of earthquake source parameters.

Subhajit Debnath is presently pursuing LL.M. in Constitutional and Administrative Law at Gujarat National Law University, India. As a part of his LL.M. Dissertation, he is working on developing a Regional Legal and Policy Framework for the Conservation of Himalayan Biodiversity. His primary research interests include issues pertaining to sustainability, global change, natural resource management and conservation of the Himalyan eco-region. Prior to his Post Graduation, he studied B.A. LL.B. from Sikkim University, India. He wishes to pursue higher studies on the Himalayan eco-region.

Anukta Gairola completed her graduation in History (hons.) from Miranda House, Delhi University, after which she pursued her Master degree course in History specializing in Medieval Indian History from Department of History, Delhi University. Currently she is pursuing an M.Phil programme from the Department of History, Delhi University. Her dissertation deals with the Mughal-Garhwal relationship during the 17th and 18th century and the impact of Mughal ideas into the society, culture and state formation in the region of Garhwal. She is keenly interested in understanding the society and culture of Central Himalayan region.

Dawa Gyalpo Baiji was born and raised in the Himalayan region of Dolpo, northwestern part of Nepal. He did a bachelor degree in Management and currently is doing internship for Community Conservation and Development center, a non- profit organization. As a social worker, his career goal is to alleviate the rural poverty and to improve mountain livelihood in his hometown Dolpo.

Vijay Jain studied Physics, Chemistry, Maths, and Computer Science, and earned a B.E. in Civil Engineering from SGSITS in Indore, India. He is extremely interested in the protection of the environment and ecology. He plans to apply his civil engineering knowledge to environmental conservation through post-graduation research in the field in the Himalayan region.

Dinesh Kafle is a PhD candidate in English Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. His research focuses on the representation of home, belonging, and alienation in contemporary South Asian fiction. His reviews and writings have been published in Indian Literature, Himalaya, andWasafiri among others. He has translated Benyamin’s novel Goat Days into Nepali (FinePrint, Kathmandu) and Nayan Raj Pandey’s Nepali novellaUlaar into English (forthcoming: FinePrint, Kathmandu).

Sonam Choekyi Lama is an aspiring mountain photojournalist from a mountainous region of Dolpo. Ms. Sonam is doing a Bachelor’s degree in Media Studies at Kathmandu University School of Arts. She is keenly interested in documenting the stories about the disappearance of the culture and the lifestyle of Dolpo and the stories of the old people.  She has worked with a professional photographer Beth Wald as a photo assistant for The George Schaller Dolpo Expedition 2016.

Santosh Khatiwada is a Master’s student in Buddhism and Peace Studies in his final year at Lumbini Buddhist University, Lumbini, Nepal. His study comprises Buddhist philosophy, conflict management, peace and development studies. He is currently in his thesis year at the college. He is also involved as a volunteer of World Without Anger, an organization conducting training on Life Without Anger and an Emotional Literacy Training Program for school students, with more than 6500 students having graduated since 2007. He works there as Office Secretary as well as IT Officer, which involves data collection of abstracts and selected articles for the publication of the WWA journal.

Tshiring Lhamu Lama is a young educated mountain woman from very remote Rigmo village close to Phoksundo Lake, Dolpo, Nepal. Ms. Lama is very enthusiastic about wildlife research and conservation of Dolpo. Tshiring did her bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science at Tribhuvan University and now she is doing her master’s degree in Natural Resources Management at Pokhara University.  Her master thesis topic is “Impact of Caterpillar Fungus Harvesting on Snow Leopard Habitat in Dolpo”. Tshiring worked as an intern for World Wide Fund for Nature, WWF, Nepal and Friends of Nature, FON. She is one of the recipients of WWF Chandra Gurung Memorial Fellowship for her master’s degree. Ms. Lama was also recently involved in a small National Geographic project on George Schaller: Return to Realm of the Snow Leopard Country Dolpo and she currently lives in Kathmandu for her higher education.

Manas M completed his graduation in Geology from the University of Kerala and his post-graduation in Geology from Mahatma Gandhi University. He later joined the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology as a Junior Research Fellow. He is highly interested in deciphering the secrets of the formation of mighty Himalayas by the study of rocks exposed, currently focusing in the Indus Suture Zone, Ladakh Himalaya, India.

John P Pappachen has been working as a Junior Research Fellow at Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun, India, on a project titled “Geo dynamics and Seismicity investigations in the Northwest Himalaya” since November 2015. He is also pursuing a Ph.D at the Dept. of Applied Geophysics, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Dhanbad, India. John completed his Bachelors in Physics from MG University, Kerala, India, and Masters in Marine Geophysics from Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT), Cochin, India. He is mainly working on crustal deformation studies using Global positioning system (GPS), stress/strain analysis, gravity studies and earthquake precursor studies using total electron content (TEC) anomalies for the better understanding of plate kinematics and Geo dynamic process in the northwest Himalaya.

Sijal Pokharel is an environmental steward, who has completed her Masters in Environmental Science from the Central Department of Environmental Science, Tribhuwan University, Nepal. She is also a Research fellow in the river basin program of the International Center for Integrated Mountain and Development (ICIMOD) known as Himalayan Adaptation, Water and Resilience Research (Hi-Aware). Her specialization lies in Integrated Water Resource Management and Climate Change. She has keen interest in social issues but tries to look into them through a global lens, following which she conducted her thesis on Climate change and Migration. In her thesis, she has tried to link environmental stress with human displacement. She also did a case study in the upstream of Gandaki River Basin, in an isolated Mountain village. She focused on water scarcity and climate change impact on Agriculture in her study. Sijal is also a finalist in the South Asian Debate Competition held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and a trainee of the International women leadership associated with the Global peace foundation Nepal. She is a passionate environmental activist and wants to make difference by contributing to environmental protection.

Driven by his passion for snakes, Sunil Sapkota, a 27 year old student of the College of Natural Resources Lobesa, Punakha, Bhutan descends from Bharatpur-15 in Chitwan, Nepal. He is a founder president at Raise Hands Nepal (Since 2013) which zeroes in on saving snakes, plastic waste reduction, conducting awareness campaigns for environmental conservation, waste management and other activities like planting in barren lands and helping wild and domestic animals. He is a pioneer volunteer snake rescuer in and around Chitwan National park (Since 2008) and CIMC Asia representative of the CliMates which is an international student think and do tank involved in researching and advocating for innovative solutions to fight against climate change. He also served as a secondary level Environmental Science teacher at Paradise English School from 2013 to 2015. Though unpublished, he participated in research projects about snake and snake bite management. He made a paper presentation and a poster presentation with his affiliates on Species richness, species composition and relative abundance of snakes in Chitwan National Park and vicinity: new records and assessment of conservation threats in Jahrestagung annual meeting DGHT, Bonn, Germany and Third Annual Research Symposium held in Bhutan. He is UNESCO Madanjeet shing scholarship student to the College of Natural Resources,Bhutan, he completed +2 from Orchid Science College. All in all, nothing can surpass his passion for rescuing the snakes. What he does is, he finds troubled snakes and safely sends them to where it resides and every contribution he has ever made is an outcome of his pro bono service incurring his personal expenses.

Mayank Shah was born and raised in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand and has travelled it extensively both as researcher and a student, living with diverse communities, listening to their stories of precarity and hardships. He has been part of domestic and international research that are spread across different dimensions of socio-economic and anthropological Himalayan study right from migrant masculinity, rural resilience, socio-ecological understanding of transitioning rural and non-metro communities, climate change and its impact on farmer behaviour, human trafficking and livelihood diversification in the central Himalayas. Currently he is working as research scholar in the economics department at Kumaun University Nainital Uttarakhand. His doctoral research work focuses on finding feasible non-agrarian livelihood options in the central Himalayas. Mayank is an avid traveller exploring the Himalayan terrains and living with various communities in some of the most marginalised regions. His research interests vary across many disciplines of Himalayan studies such as rural resilience, sustainability analysis, youth dynamics, developmental politics, anthropological studies of migration and state processes. Mayank has a keen interest in socio-ecological and anthropological research in the Himalayan region combining ethnographic research with scientific methodologies to bring out the best resource for the Himalayan region studies.

Pramod Shah is from Nepal. He has completed Bachelor of Computer Engineering from NEC, PU &
B. Ed in Information & Communication Technology from Tribhuvan University and Master’s from Kathmandu University. He is the Founder of Dibyabhumi Multiple College affiliated to Tribhuvan University. Currently he is serving in an education Institution for creating students as a digital and global citizen and using SIT (systematic Innovative Thinking) Model in curriculum. He initiated three projects in Nepal at the time of Massive earthquake in April 2015: Shelter Construction, School Building Construction and Educational Material distribution, and girls Toilet construction in Remote government school. During this time, he felt that he had to research and develop the sustainable education model for Nepal which represents the intellectual bent of Nepal covering all geographical and cultural areas. He is also interested in connecting his students with research organizations so that they learn research culture during their time in academia.

Born and brought up in a remote mountainous village of Nepal, Chungla Sherpa realizes the situation and problem of local communities’ livelihood with the mountain specificities and surrounding environments. This enforces and encourages her to analyze the existing situation and conditions under prospective changes in the local environment and surroundings for recommending the appropriate paths for sustainable livelihood. This was instrumental in guiding her to professional education in forestry and natural resources management, in order to contribute to a solution for global climate change, disaster risk reduction, human disruptions, and natural disasters, such as climate and non climatic events and deforestation, fragmentation, etc. which have direct impacts on national and global systems. These in totality support her to understand the dynamics of socioeconomic development of a growing population under the various stresses including the impacts of a changing climate. Chungla Sherpa wishes to interact closely with local people and other stakeholders to identify the problems and causes pertaining to the sustainable development of mountain communities including conflict, changing climate, and the adaptation practices of local people and their traditional knowledge to understand the corrective actions and precautionary measures to bridge the ill impacts on their livelihoods and resources.

Tapasya Thapa is an educator, researcher and occasional writer. After obtaining her Masters degree in English Literature from the School of Language, Literature and Culture Studies (SLL & CS), Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, she went on to complete her M. Phil in English Literature from the English and Foreign Languages University (formerly CIEFL), Hyderabad. Her M.Phil thesis explored the question of identity through the writings of the Ayamik Lekhan movement in Nepali literature. Recently, Tapasya channels her keen interest in the ‘workings’ and ‘manifestations’ of South Asian history through explorations with Oral History/Histories. To augment these explorations, she attended the Winter School of Oral History at Srishti, in 2015. Areas of Interest: Culture Studies; Post-colonial studies; Post Modernism; Translation Studies; Oral History; Historical Methods.

Lobsang Yangtso was born in Kham, Tibet and escaped from Tibet in 1991. She received her schooling from Tibetan Schools in India and completed her Bachelors in English Literature and Masters in International Studies from Stella Maris College, Chennai. She joined the Jawaharlal Nehru University for M.Phil in Chinese Studies, Centre for East Asian Studies and is presently writing her Ph.D thesis on “China’s Environmental Security Policies in Tibet: Implications to India, 2001-2013” from the same department. Her major academic interests include areas such as China’s foreign policy, social and environmental issues in China, Tibet and China Relations, environmental issues in Tibet and Himalayan region at large. Lobsang has published few articles such as “Environmental Problems and Issues in Tibet” in an edited book “Changes on the Roof of the World: Reflection on Tibet, Pentagon Press, New Delhi. Another paper titled “Damming the Yarlung Tsangpo: It Implications” got published in tibetpolicy.net. She has also participated and presented various papers at international/national seminars and conferences at Dharamsala, Delhi, Gwalior, Norway, and Copenhagen. She had an opportunity to participate in various summer schools and workshops such as the ‘Fletcher Summer Institute for the Advance Study on Nonviolent Conflict’ at Tufts University, Medford, the summer school on ‘Human Rights, Minorities and Diversity Management’ at the Institution for Minority Rights, European Academy, Bozen and a workshop on ‘Democracy and Its Participation’ at Dharamsala and Italy. Alongside her studies, she works as a Research and Campaign Assistant to Tibet Third Pole, International Tibet Network. She was also employed as a research associate at the Centre for China Analysis and Strategy, New Delhi and the Environment and Development Desk of Tibet Policy Institute, Dharamsala.