If you have ever gone trekking, you know there is one person you can never do without. The local guide, who joins your holiday on a per day allowance, and ends up doing almost all your work — haul the luggage, cook scrumptious food, and lead you barefoot, sometimes, through the rocky terrain — come rain or shine.

One such man, Harsinh Harkotia from Kumaon Village, Uttarakhand, was felicitated in Mumbai for his service to Himalayan trekkers for over three-and-a-half decades.