You must visit us in Mussoorie,” Colleen Gantzer had extended a warm invite over the phone lines back in 2012 when I had reached out, to check if she [one half of the Gantzers] had received a couriered copy of the mid-day newspaper. This was soon after I had interviewed the effervescent, trailblazing couple, pegging it on the release of their four-part travel book series, Intriguing India (Niyogi Books) that focused on lesser-seen locations across North, South, East, and West India. Poring over the pages of The Vibrant West from the series, I was blown away by their meticulous research. I never took them up on that invite, and kicked myself recently for not following up on that chance to meet these fascinating storytellers.

That’s because Colleen had passed away in 2024, and last week, Hugh waved his final goodbye, signing off the last chapter of the Padma Shri-awardee couple’s illustrious life as India’s OG travel writers. For readers who are still scratching their heads, wondering why this column is dedicated to them, the truth is that they broke new ground in the 1970s and 80s with their columns and Looking Beyond with Hugh and Colleen Gantzer, a prime-time travel show on Doordarshan (DD). Their names might not ring a bell, especially for Gen Zers and those born after them, because of the couple’s vintage but those who recall DD’s glory days [yes, they scheduled some stellar programming] would certainly recall slick episodes of Looking Beyond… and how it introduced unseen India to wide-eyed viewers.