Mandi DAV School’s KS Guleria honoured with Hansraj Award at Samarpan Diwas

MANDI: KS Guleria, Assistant Regional Officer (ARO) of DAV Institutions, Himachal Pradesh Zone-C, and Principal of DAV Centenary Public School, Mandi, was awarded the Hansraj Award-2025 at the Samarpan Diwas event held at Chaugan Maidan in Hamirpur.

The ceremony was organised by the DAV College Management Committee, New Delhi, and marked the birth anniversary of Mahatma Hansraj, a key figure in the DAV movement.
Samarpan Diwas is observed annually to honour the legacy of Mahatma Hansraj, a great educationist and social reformer who dedicated his life to spreading education and improving society.

This year, three distinguished educationists were recognised for their exceptional contributions:
Dr Vikramjeet Singh, Principal, Dayanand College, Hisar (Haryana)
KS Guleria, Principal-cum-ARO, DAV Centenary Public School, Mandi (Himachal Pradesh)
Seema Maindiratta, Principal-cum-ARO, DAV International School, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai (Maharashtra)
The award was presented by Dr Punam Suri, president of the DAV College Management Committee, New Delhi. Dr Suri praised the honourees for their commitment to the principles of education, leadership and social service.

Prominent figure in field of education

KS Guleria, a prominent figure in the DAV network, has dedicated his career to improving education and inspiring students.
Since becoming Principal of DAV Centenary Public School, Mandi, in 2007, he has led the school to consistently achieve 100% board results, along with high-quality performance and a strong culture of academic excellence.

His leadership has also influenced many of his former students, with seven of them now holding Principal or Head positions in other DAV schools.

As the Assistant Regional Officer for DAV institutions in Himachal Pradesh since 2019, Guleria has played a key role in the establishment of six new DAV schools across Mandi, Bilaspur and Kullu.

His efforts have focused on improving infrastructure, academic standards and the implementation of DAV values.
Before his work with DAV, Guleria served as a PGT physics teacher at Sainik School, Sujanpur Tihra, for 13 years, where he combined science education with character-building principles.

Contributions beyond the classroom

In addition to his educational leadership, Guleria has contributed significantly in other areas.
As district coordinator for CBSE and NTA exams, he has ensured the smooth and transparent conduct of national exams. He also serves as the state coordinator for DAV Computer-Based Testing (CBT), overseeing online testing across schools with a focus on efficiency and data integrity.

His commitment to sports is equally remarkable. As state sports coordinator for DAV schools in Himachal Pradesh, Guleria led the region to an impressive 8th national ranking in the DAV National Sports Meet 2024, highlighting his focus on youth engagement through sports.
Guleria’s dedication to education and social welfare was previously recognised with the Shan-e-Himachal Award in 2015 by the Sarv Kalyankari Sanstha.

Munish Sood