Shillong’s Babatdor Dkhar named India UK Achiever 2026 at House of Lords ceremony

Shillong writer and creative entrepreneur Babatdor Dkhar has been named an India UK Achiever 2026 in the Arts, Culture, Entertainment & Sports category. 

The honour was formally announced at a Parliamentary Reception held at the House of Lords, UK Parliament, London, on February 24, 2026.

The recognition forms part of the India UK Achievers Honours, an initiative led by National Indian Students and Alumni Union UK in partnership with the UK Government. The programme celebrates Indians who have pursued higher education in the United Kingdom and have made significant contributions in their respective professional fields and communities. It highlights individuals whose work strengthens intellectual, cultural and institutional ties between India and the United Kingdom.

The Achievers Class of 2026, the fourth cohort since the programme’s inception, was formally unveiled during the Parliamentary Reception at the Cholmondeley Room and Terrace inside the House of Lords.

Instituted in 2022 to mark India’s 75th year of Independence, the honours recognise globally educated Indians contributing to diplomacy, innovation, education, enterprise and cultural exchange across borders.

Dkhar was selected following a competitive international nomination process and joins a distinguished cohort of professionals and leaders across sectors. An alumnus of the University of Oxford and a Charles Wallace Creative Writing Fellow at the University of Kent, he is the founder and creative director of Half and One, a creative and literary platform that publishes writers and artists globally while developing original intellectual properties, including comic books, magazines, puzzles, board games and animation projects.

The India UK Achievers Honours celebrations are being held in London from February 24 to 26, 2026, bringing together leaders from education, entrepreneurship, research, public life and the creative industries. The programme includes the Parliamentary Reception at the House of Lords, a networking reception, the India UK Education Conference and the Achievers Honours Gala Ceremony.

Dkhar is among a new generation of globally educated Indian professionals whose work reflects the expanding intellectual and cultural partnership between India and the United Kingdom.