Hailing from the hill town of Dalhousie, Dr. Kiran Chadha is a retired government civil servant. With two doctrates in the subjects of petroleum and iron ore, her quest for knowledge continues in her current role as an author and motivational speaker. After a very successful career in the Indian government spanning 36 years, she has worked in the Ministries of Petroleum, Commerce, Defence and Women & Child Development. With prominent postings including as leader of various delegations within India and abroad, she has travelled extensively to more than 40 countries. She made a mark in Geneva as an excellent orator who spoke on the future of iron ore exports from India. Further, she was associated with UN agencies specially on Women Empowerment. She has written many papers and her exposition on the Second World War was published in 2001. 

Dr. Chadha is featured in Asia –Pacific Who’s Who and in the International Directory of Distinguished leadership. She was awarded the Shresht Putri Award by the Governor of Himachal Pradesh in 2002 as she was the first girl from the district to qualify the competitive exam. Her love for the Himalayas stems from her childhood as an avid trekker with her own group ‘Himtrek’ who have undertaken challenging treks all over the Himalayan range including Mansarovar, Mount Kailash as well as in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan.

 

She imbibes her values from her alma mater Sacred Heart Convent, Dalhousie. Her interests include reading, music, knitting, dancing and trekking. Post retirement, Dr. Chadha is engaged in social and welfare activities and has started the NGO ‘Swachh Dalhousie’ since 2014. Now in its 6th year it is actively engaged in the ‘Hilldaari’ programme sponsored by Nestle and Godwills Executor and is focussing on an integrated plastic and solid waste management in the town. She has been a motivational speaker in many institutions to highlight issues like water conservation, forestation and welfare and education of the girl child in Himachal Pradesh. 

She realised that while there are many books on Chamba, there is little to read about Dalhousie and its development since it was founded in 1859. Connected to this was the urge to delve deeper into the history of her own family who moved to Dalhousie in 1880. Her first book ‘Dalhousie through my eyes’ was published in 2017 to rave reviews both in the electronic and print media. The book covers the historical growth of the town with its important sights and schools and how it inspired eminent personalities like Tagore, Bose, Nanak Singh and Manjit Bawa.  It is a collector’s delight with its spectacular photography. She is currently working on her second book on Indian weddings which is a comprehensive study on the significance of wedding customs, beliefs, rituals and practices in various parts of the country.