Hemlata Pradhan
Hemlata Pradhan is a Botanical Illustrator who paints Orchids and other plants and immortalizes them on paper. She was born on 3 December 1974, in Kalimpong, Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council, West Bengal, India into a family already renowned in the horticultural circles worldwide. After her schooling at St. Joseph’s Convent and then later on at Dr. Graham’s Homes, Kalimpong, she went on to pursue her dreams in the world of Fine Arts, completing B.Fine (Hons) from Kala Bhavan, Viswa Bharati, Shantiniketan, West Bengal in 1998. She then completed her Diploma in Botanical Illustration with distinction from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, England, U.K. through scholarship from the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation, Canada. In the year 2000, she was sponsored by the Association of Commonwealth Universities, London, U.K. to do her Master’s in Natural History Illustration and Ecological Studies from the Royal College of Art, London. She is the first Indian to win the Royal Horticultural Society’s Gold Medal and the 18th World Orchid Conference Gold Medal in France for her paintings of India’s Wild Orchids. She is a member of the Education Committee of the Orchid Specialist Group, World Conservation Union, Species Survival Commission. She lives and works in Kalimpong, Darjeeling, West Bengal, India where she is building the Himalayan Institute of Natural History Art.
Praveen Chettri
Praveen Chettri is a well-known photographer based in Kalimpong, West Bengal. He was honoured as the
Photographer of the Year for winning the EPSON-PHOTO OF THE YEAR 2012 and has worked for Numero-French fashion magazine as in-house photographer in Thailand.
He has worked in numerous commissioned photo projects in Darjeeling hills and Sikkim. With more than 10 years of experience, he has been involved in several initiatives to educate and bring awareness in the Darjeeling hills and Sikkim through the medium of art.
