T. Senka Ao (born 6 June 1945) is a journalist from the

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

n state of

Nagaland Nagaland () is a States and union territories of India, state in the northeast India, north-eastern region of India. It is bordered by the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh to the north, Assam to the west, Manipur to the south, and the Naga Sel ...

. Senka Ao is best known for his work as the Editor-in-Chief of the "Ao Milen", the first newspaper in Nagaland established in 1933 and the first newspaper ever to be published in the local Ao language. During the period of his editorship, Senka Ao created the "Alokba" character famous for his witty commentary on social and current issues. Senka Ao has contributed several articles to various publications and has authored nine books in the Ao language. Two of his books Kongro Lijen (The Abode of the Maidens) and Kishi Tezulen (Off the Doorway) are in the process of translation into English. Senka Ao's books have been included in the syllabus of the Ao language in ICSE and ISC Board New Delhi, and up to class 10 under Nagaland Board of School Education. He is an examiner of Arrangtet Examination which is the highest Ao language degree. Senka Ao has a played key roles in the efforts to bring peace and harmony between warring groups during many crises and feuds. He has served as a member of the Peace Committee constituted to solve the issues involving Aos and Sumis in 1981 and also as a member of Peace Committee 1985 during the confrontation between Assam and Nagaland at

Merapani Merapani is a town and a Subdivisions of India, subdivision of Golaghat district in the state of Assam and Nagaland. Half of Merapani lies in the Wokha district of Nagaland and half lies in Golaghat District of Assam. There is a Border Magistr ...

. He was actively involved in the formation of the Joint People Forum with representatives from both Nagaland and

Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...

in collaboration with the District Administration for the resolution of the contentious issues between Nagaland and Assam. In recognition of his many social activities, he was elected as a member of the Mokokchung Town Committee and as a member of the All India Radio Campaign Committee in Mokokchung in 1972.

Early life

Senka Ao was born in

Mokokchung Mokokchung () is a municipality in the Mokokchung District of the Indian state of Nagaland. It serves as the district headquarters as well as the main urban hub of Mokokchung District. Mokokchung is the cultural nerve centre of the Ao people ...

Town in Nagaland on June 6, 1945. He completed matriculation from Government High School, Mokokchung and graduated in 1969 from St Anthony's College,

Shillong Shillong (, ) is a hill station and the capital of Meghalaya, a Indian state, state in northeastern India. It is the headquarters of the East Khasi Hills district. Shillong is the list of most populous cities in India, 330th most populous city ...

, then under

Gauhati University Gauhati University also known as GU, is a collegiate public state university located in Guwahati, Assam, India. It was established on 26 January 1948 under the provisions of an Act enacted by the Assam Legislative Assembly and is the oldest un ...

. He had been a very active participant in public life since his student's days holding several positions in various students' organisations. He was the Joint Secretary in the Voluntary Adult Education Campaign in Mokokchung District (1975–1979) and was the founder of the Model Night School at Mokokchung in 1972.

Recognitions

*Recipient of Nagaland Governor's Award in Literature in the year 2016. *In the year 2022, Govt of India conferred the

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

award, the third highest award in the Padma series of awards, on T Senka Ao for his distinguished service in the field of literature and education. The award is in recognition of his service as a "Tribal Ao Author, Teacher and Journalist - preserving Nagaland's Ao language through his writings over decades".

External links

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Senka Ao, T Writers from Nagaland People from Mokokchung district Indian journalists 1945 births Living people Recipients of the Padma Shri in literature and education