Padma Shri 2026 for Living Root Bridge Conservator

Hally War of Siej village in Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills has been selected for the Padma Shri Award 2026 in the category of social work. The honour recognises his lifelong commitment to conserving the region’s iconic living root bridges.

A farmer by profession, Shri Hally War cultivates betel nuts, betel leaves, black pepper, and various fruit crops, while continuing to serve as a custodian of nature and traditional knowledge.

An unsung guardian of indigenous knowledge, he has been conferred the Padma Shri for his extraordinary contribution to conserving and promoting the traditional bioengineering wisdom of the Khasi people. Through his lifelong dedication to the art of bio-weaving living root bridges in the East Khasi Hills, he has preserved a rare ancestral practice and strengthened community bonds, enhanced ecological resilience and promoted sustainable tourism.