Two careers, one life
Saving a language is slow, hard work, and the result comes not from one book but from decades of steady effort. According to the official 2026 Padma citation, Naresh Chandra Dev Varma was born on 31 October 1944 near Bishramganj, in today’s Sepahijala district. He studied at Dhariathal Primary School and took his BA from MBB College, Agartala, under the University of Calcutta.
He began as a Junior Assistant in the Agriculture Department, later joined the Tripura Legislative Assembly Secretariat and rose to Joint Secretary, retiring in 2002. Alongside that career, a second and more lasting identity grew out of his work on Kokborok and Tripuri culture.
Thirty-four books
The citation records him writing on grammar, literature, culture and social themes in Kokborok, Bengali and English: 34 books in all, many of them in Kokborok. He was associated with the Kokborok Sahitya Parishad, taught as a guest lecturer in Tripura University’s Kokborok Diploma programme, and served in advisory roles on language and literature.
Recognition beyond Tripura
The Tripura Bhushan in 2024 and the Padma Shri in 2026 brought national recognition to work long known mostly within Tripura and the Kokborok-speaking community.
To save a language it is not enough to speak it: it needs grammars, texts, research and a place in institutions.
Sources
- PIB / Padma Awards 2026: official citations
- Padma Awards 2026: notification
- Tripurainfo: profile
- static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/specificdocs/documents/2026/jun/doc2026623901101.pdf
- padmaawards.gov.in/Document/pdf/Notifications/PadmaAwards/PadmaAwards2026.pdf
- tripurainfo.com/EnglishNews.aspx?intnid=7065
- neherald.com/tripura/padma-shri-awardee-naresh-chandra-dev-varma-hails-modi-govt-for-recognising-tribal-literature