MaryellenBuckman at 05:24, 3 March 2026

2026-03-03T05:24:18Z

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{{short description|Indian anthropologist and heritage conservationist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2023}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name = Lokesh Ohri
| image = [[File:Lokesh Ohri.jpg|150px]]
| education = [[St Joseph's Academy, Dehradun]]<br />[[University of Heidelberg]], Germany
| birth_place = [[Dehradun]], India
| workplaces = [[University of Heidelberg]]
| fields = [[Cultural anthropology]], [[Heritage conservation]]
| awards = Marsilus Van Inghen Fellow (Radboud University, Netherlands), Govind Vallabh Pant Award (MHA, GoI), Mahatma Gandhi Award, Outlook Traveller Responsible Tourism Award'23 and '25
| known_for = Heritage conservation in the [[Doon Valley]], Uttarakhand
}}

'''Lokesh Ohri''' is an Indian [[anthropologist]], historian, writer and a cultural activist based in [[Dehradun]], Uttarakhand, who has campaigned for the preservation of the natural and cultural heritage of the [[Doon Valley]].<ref name="auto">{{Cite news|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/art-and-culture/doon-valley-dehradun-lokesh-ohri-5727839/|title='A walkable city keeps us close to our real selves': Heritage revivalist Lokesh Ohri|newspaper=The Indian Express |date=May 15, 2019}}</ref> He is the founder of Been There Doon That, an educational initiative that spreads awareness about the natural, social and cultural history of the Doon Valley through walks, lectures and workshops.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/dehradun/learning-about-dehradun-s-food-history-one-bite-at-a-time/story-nQk8LkR6ESnVZIMTwoSa6I.html|title=Learning about Dehradun's food history, one bite at a time|date=1 May 2016|website=Hindustan Times}}</ref>

His work in Anthropology has dealt with the ideas of non-human agency, rituals of traveling deities and reflexivity. His recent works, however, have focused on the several voices, including that of Himalayan deities, that critique the recent spate of infrastructure development and consequent exploitation, be it roads, tourism or dams. He has vigorously promoted slow and walking travel, documenting the sacred landscapes of the Himalayas.

==Biography==
Ohri was born in Dehradun and attended [[St Joseph's Academy, Dehradun|St Joseph's Academy]] and has a master's degree in sociology. He received his PhD in cultural anthropology from the [[University of Heidelberg]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lokesh Ohri, M.A. |url=https://www.sai.uni-heidelberg.de/ethno/index.php?language=en&page=staff/ohri}}</ref> Ohri has long campaigned against insensitive and rapid development in [[Uttarakhand]], particularly in the state capital Dehradun, which has led to a reduction in green cover of the state, partial or complete loss of heritage canals and water bodies through pollution or road construction, and poor restoration work on historic monuments.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dailypioneer.com/2020/state-editions/---planting-trees-better-than-setting-up-fountain-at-clock-tower---.html|title=Planting trees better than setting up fountain at Clock Tower|website=The Pioneer}}</ref> In 2013, he founded Been There Doon That, an initiative that highlights the cultural, natural and social heritage of the [[Doon Valley]] through public lectures, talks and heritage walks.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/dehradun/Doon-heritage-walks-a-grand-success/articleshow/53800130.cms|title=Doon heritage walks a grand success | Dehradun News - Times of India|website=The Times of India}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dailypioneer.com/2013/state-editions/been-there-doon-that-features-10-walks-to-explore-doon-heritage.html|title='Been There, Doon That?' features 10 walks to explore Doon heritage|website=The Pioneer}}</ref>

Lokesh established the Dehradun based community called Been There Doon That.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Been There, Doon That? |url=https://www.beentheredoonthat.org/}}</ref> which is a citizens' engagement initiative with local history and heritage. Today, BTDT, as it is popularly called, is home to a huge community of citizens sensitised to the cause of heritage. BTDT has also commenced work with over 14 village communities in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh to undertake village based slow tourism thorough self-help. This work is significant since landscapes in Uttarakhand are not protected by land laws. The work promotes slow and experiential travel. He has also established Humanities Himalaya, an organisation focused on ground level research and policy interventions in the Himalayas.

Lokesh Ohri has established a public policy, research and action group to work on the Himalayan region by the name of Humanities Himalaya. The group is registered as a public society in Uttarakhand. The work of Humanities Himalaya currently extends to Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh.

==Books==
*{{cite book |last=Ohri |first=Lokesh |author-link= |date=2019 |title=Till Kingdom Come: Medieval Hinduism in the Modern Himalaya |url= |location= |publisher=[[Orient Blackswan]] |page= |isbn=978-8178245423}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/lifestyle/books/2020/apr/19/till-kingdom-come-book-review-the-mysterious-valley-2131081.html|title='Till Kingdom Come' book review: The Mysterious Valley|website=The New Indian Express|date=18 April 2020 }}</ref>
*{{cite book |last=Ohri |first=Lokesh |author-link= |date=2019 |title=Walking with Laata: 50 Trails through Doon Valley's Living History & Nature |url= |location= |publisher=Book World |page= |isbn=978-9381089408}}<ref name="auto"/>
*{{cite book |last=Ohri |first=Lokesh |author-link= |date=2022 |title=Ganga Katha-Samagrata: Completeness of the Holy River Ganga |url= |location= |publisher=National Mission for Clean Ganga |page= |isbn=978-8195703982}}<ref name="auto"/>
*{{cite book |last=Ohri |first=Lokesh |author-link= |date=2022 |title=Ganga Katha-Samakshata: Along the Holy River Ganga |url= |location= |publisher=National Mission for Clean Ganga |page= |isbn=978-8195901906}}<ref name="auto"/>
*Ohri, Lokesh (2025). ''Bridges of Uttarakhand''. Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH). {{ISBN|978-9334314090}}.
*Ohri, Lokesh (2025). ''On the Pilgrimage Trail to Kedarnath''. Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH). {{ISBN|978-9334319798}}
*{{cite book |last=Ohri |first=Lokesh |author-link= |date=2026 |title=Ambles Across Godland: Experiencing the Sacred in the Uttarakhand Himalaya |url= |location= Dehradun, India|publisher=Bookworld |page=430 |isbn=9788196614959}}<ref name="auto"/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.beentheredoonthat.org/ Official website - Been There Doon That]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ohri, Lokesh}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Heidelberg University alumni]]
[[Category:Scholars from Dehradun]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian anthropologists]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian historians]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian writers]]
[[Category:Indian conservationists]]
[[Category:Conservator-restorers]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Himalayan studies]]
[[Category:Scholars from Uttarakhand]]

Lokesh Ohri - Revision history

MaryellenBuckman at 05:24, 3 March 2026