(Tribune)
Dr Vikram Chandra Thakur, former director of the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), the only one from Uttarakhand this year to feature in the list of Padma Shri awardees that was announced on the eve of Republic Day.Dr Thakur is the second WIHG luminary after eminent geologist KS Valdiya, who was awarded with Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan in 2007 and 2015 respectively. Settled in Dehradun, Dr Thakur, who originally hails from Dharmshala, Himachal Pradesh also has its roots in the Kumaon division of Uttarakhand, from where his forefathers migrated to Himachal Pradesh. An MSc from Panjab University, Chandigarh, and a Phd from London University, Dr Thakur has worked extensively in structure tectonics. His specialisation has been on Himalayan geology, structural geology and tectonics. He has worked extensively in unravelling the regional framework and tectonics of the remote regions of Ladakh, Zanskar, Chamba, Garhwal, Kumaun and Arunachal Pradesh.
