Tabu Taid
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Tabu Ram Taid known as ''Tabu Taid'', (1 August 1942 – 17 August 2019) was an Indian educationist, linguist, author and administrator.


Early life and education

Tabu Taid was born on 1 August 1942 in a geographically remote and economically challenged village ''Ghunasuti Ayengia'' in
Lakhimpur district Lakhimpur district ( ) is an administrative district in the state of Assam, India. The district headquarters is located at North Lakhimpur. It is bounded on the north by the Siang and Papumpare districts of Arunachal Pradesh and on the east by t ...
of
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 ...
,
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 ...
. His father was Ubbang Taid, a poor farmer who had to work hard to meet the needs of the family of two daughters, five sons and his wife, a nine-member family. The village, 'Ghunasuti Ayengia' is a settlement of a small indigenous tribe of Assam, the Misings or Miri. Often visited by floods during the monsoon season, the villagers were poor subsistence level farmers. As of 1942, education or awareness of the need for formal education was not much prevailing in rural Assam. However, Ubbang Taid, being able to read and write in Assamese, the major language of the region, understood the need of formal education and sent his sons (excluding the eldest) to school. Tabu Taid performed well in his academic life. After finishing lower primary in his native village, and upper primary and high school in the nearest town
North Lakhimpur North Lakhimpur ( ) is a city and a municipal board in Lakhimpur district in the Indian state of Assam, about northeast of Guwahati. It is the district headquarters of Lakhimpur district. North Lakhimpur is also the name of the subdivision o ...
, Tabu Taid went on to receive intermediate and undergraduate level education under Calcutta University and postgraduate level education at Delhi University. Earlier, when Tabu Taid was in the 7th standard, the infamous 'Bor Bhumikampa',
1950 Assam–Tibet earthquake The 1950 Assam–Tibet earthquake, also known as the Assam earthquake, occurred on 15 August and had a moment magnitude of 8.7. The epicentre was located in the Mishmi Hills. It is one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded on land. Occu ...
, devastated the Lakhimpur area in Assam, affecting the already poor, disadvantaged people living there, quite significantly. To top it, the flood situation worsened owing to the change of course of the rivers in the area due to the earthquake. So Tabu Taid's family was suffering acute financial crisis at that time. But, being a brilliant student, he was helped by the
Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya, Narendrapur Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya, Narendrapur is a unit of Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Narendrapur, which is a branch of Ramakrishna Mission with headquarters at Belur. It is affiliated to the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education ...
in
Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
. They agreed to bear the cost for his post-Matric education. He received his graduation with honors in English from the
Ramakrishna Mission Residential College, Narendrapur Ramakrishna Mission Residential College (Autonomous), Narendrapur is an institute for pursuing undergraduate and postgraduate studies in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is an autonomous college located in Narendrapur, Kolkata. The college ...
under Calcutta University in 1963 and moved on to
Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
for higher education. Working as a schoolteacher in Delhi for sometime, he enrolled in the
Hindu College, University of Delhi Hindu College is a constituent college of the University of Delhi. Founded in 1899, it is one of the oldest colleges in India, offering undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in the sciences, humanities and commerce. The college has prod ...
in 1964 and obtained his Postgraduate degree in English from the
University of Delhi The Delhi University (DU, ISO 15919, ISO: ), also and officially known as the University of Delhi, is a collegiate university, collegiate research university, research Central university (India), central university located in Delhi, India. It ...
in 1966. Tabu Taid started his professional life as a lecturer of English in
Cotton College, Guwahati Cotton University also known as CU, is a public state university (India), state university located in Guwahati, Assam, India. It was established in 2017 by the provisions of an Act from the Assam Legislative Assembly which merged Cotton Colleg ...
,
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 ...
. He went to the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
after being awarded a scholarship under a competitive State Overseas Scholarships Scheme, where he obtained a Postgraduate diploma on Applied Linguistics from
University of Reading The University of Reading is a public research university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as the University Extension College, Reading, an extension college of Christchurch College, Oxford, and became University College, ...
, UK (1973–1974). He also completed a certificate course in Distance Education at the University of London Institute of Education,
UCL Institute of Education The UCL Institute of Education (IOE) is the faculty of education and society of University College London (UCL). It specialises in postgraduate study and research in the field of education and is one of UCL's University College London#Facultie ...
, (1982) under a British Council fellowship program. He was recommended for the
Indian Foreign Service The Indian Foreign Service (IFS) is a diplomatic service and a Central Civil Services, central civil service of the Government of India, Government of the Republic of India under the Ministry of External Affairs (India), Ministry of External A ...
by the
Union Public Service Commission The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is a constitutional body tasked with recruiting officers for All India Services and the Central Civil Services (Group A and B) through various standardized examinations. In 2023, 1.3 million applica ...
,
Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...
, making him the first person in the Mising community to attain such an honorable distinction. However, he could not join the service due to health problems at that time.


Work as an educator and education administrator

Tabu Ram Taid started his career as a school teacher. After completing his higher education, he joined as a lecturer in English at
Cotton College, Guwahati Cotton University also known as CU, is a public state university (India), state university located in Guwahati, Assam, India. It was established in 2017 by the provisions of an Act from the Assam Legislative Assembly which merged Cotton Colleg ...
. Tabu Ram Taid left the teaching post he held at Cotton College for fourteen years (1967–1981) and joined as an educational administrator in 1981, being posted first as a Deputy Director of Public Instruction. Later he was elevated to different higher posts such as Director, SCERT, Director of Secondary Education, Director of Higher Education, Chairman, Board of Secondary Education, Chairman, State Selection Board (higher education), etc. under the Education Department of the
Government of Assam The Government of Assam or Assam Government abbreviated as GoAS, is the Subnational legislature, state government of the Indian state of Assam. It consists of the Governors of states of India, Governor appointed by the President of India as th ...
. The state government had also deputed Prof. Taid as the first Director of the state-sponsored Institute, named Anundoram Borooah Institute of Language, Art and Culture, entrusting him with the responsibility of building it up as an institute for research and publications, especially in the areas of indigenous languages, literature and culture – a job which he accomplished well. He retired from state government service in the year 2000, but continued as the Chairman of the State Selection Board (higher education) till February 2004. During the years of his assignment as the chairman of the board of Secondary Education, Assam (1996–2000), he was the unanimous choice for the chair of the Zonal Council of Boards of Secondary Education (COBSE), North-East Zone, and he was due to take over as the Chairman of the national body (COBSE) on 4 April 2001, but meanwhile he had returned to his parent post on 1 April 2000.


Public Service

Tabu Taid, over the years, has held various other positions of public responsibility and service. He was formerly: Member, Education Reforms Commission, Assam, 1993; Member, Publication Board, Assam; Member, Regional Committee (Assam),
Sahitya Akademi The Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India. Founded on 12 March 1954, it is supported by, though independent of the Indian government. Its off ...
and
National Book Trust National Book Trust (NBT) is an Indian state-owned publishing house, headquartered in Delhi, India, founded in 1957 as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Education of the Government of India. NBT publishes reading material in several Indi ...
; Member of a Committee,
Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is a Government of India Ministry (government department), ministry. It is responsible for welfare spending, welfare, social justice and empowerment of disadvantaged and marginalised sections of soc ...
,
Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...
(for selection of institutes/organizations for disbursement of grants for tribal art and culture); Member, Executive Council,
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 ...
; Member, Executive Council,
Dibrugarh University Dibrugarh University is a Collegiate University, collegiate public state university in the Indian state of Assam. It is the second oldest University in Assam and in North East India. It is a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universitie ...
; Member, Board of Management,
Krishna Kanta Handiqui State Open University Krishna Kanta Handiqui State Open University is a state university in Guwahati, Assam, India. It was founded in 2006. KKHSOU offers a range of undergraduate, postgraduate, diploma, and certificate courses in various fields such as humanities, s ...
; Consultant for the
National Council of Educational Research and Training National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) () is an autonomous organisation of Ministry of Education, the Government of India. Established in 1961, it is a literary, scientific and charitable Society under the Societies Reg ...
project on State Studies in School Education (for the state of Assam); Chairman, Zonal Committee of Council of Boards of Secondary Education (COBSE), North East Zone; Chairman, Executive Committee, Anundoram Borooah Institute of Language, Art and Culture; Founder President, Mising Agom Kebang (Mising Sahitya Sabha), 1972–1980.


Research works

Tabu Ram Taid has been active in preserving his native tribal language, Mising. In 1972, he founded the Mising Agom Kebang (Linguistic Society of the Mising), serving until 1980 as its president. The organization helped reintroduce the language into primary schools. He has published a number of papers about the Mising language as well as an orthography and dictionary of the language, and he has edited collections of Mising folk songs. He has contributed three research papers on the Mising language published in the journal, 'Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area',
University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...
, USA. 1987 and 1995.


Authorship and editorial work

Tabu Taid authored a series of lessons in English for school students which have been broadcast over radio multiple times since the mid-1970s. He has also authored a number of English textbooks for elementary students and several key volumes about Mising, ''Mising Bhaxar Banan Poddhoti'' (an orthography) and ''Mising Gompir Kumsung'' (a 900-page dictionary). He has written widely in periodicals in Assamese, English and his native tribal language, Mising. There are two volumes of his collected articles, ''Ekunki Nibondho'' (''Bouquet of Articles'') and ''Glimpses''. ' Banikanta Kakati, the Man and his Works' was compiled and edited by Prof. Tabu Ram Taid and Prof. Ranjit Kumar Dev Goswami in 1987 and published by the Publication Board, Assam. He authored 'A Dictionary of the Mising Language' which was the very first dictionary of the Mising language (published in 1995 by an association of Mising language teachers). His 'Mising Folk Tales' was published by the
Sahitya Akademi The Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India. Founded on 12 March 1954, it is supported by, though independent of the Indian government. Its off ...
in 2013. The
Government of Assam The Government of Assam or Assam Government abbreviated as GoAS, is the Subnational legislature, state government of the Indian state of Assam. It consists of the Governors of states of India, Governor appointed by the President of India as th ...
bestowed a literary pension on him to recognize his contributions to literature.


Honors and awards

Prof. Tabu Ram Taid was honored with the title of 'Agom Migang' conferred by the Mising Agom Kebang (Mising Sahitya Sabha) in 2007. He was awarded the prestigious ‘Bhasha Samman Award’ by the
Sahitya Akademi The Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India. Founded on 12 March 1954, it is supported by, though independent of the Indian government. Its off ...
for his contributions to Mising language and literature, in 2010. The
Sahitya Akademi The Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India. Founded on 12 March 1954, it is supported by, though independent of the Indian government. Its off ...
instituted 'Bhasha Samman' in 1996 to be given to writers, scholars, editors, collectors, performers or translators who have made considerable contribution to the propagation, modernization or enrichment of various Indian languages. The awards are given to three or four persons every year in different Indian languages on the basis of recommendation of experts' committees constituted for the purpose. Mr. Tabu Taid was conferred the Sukapha Award 2011–2012, by the Department of Cultural Affairs,
Government of Assam The Government of Assam or Assam Government abbreviated as GoAS, is the Subnational legislature, state government of the Indian state of Assam. It consists of the Governors of states of India, Governor appointed by the President of India as th ...
, in recognition of his valuable contribution to education, literature, culture, scholarly work, linguistics, arts, authorship and public service. He was presented with the award on 2 December 2011, by the Chief Minister of the State, Mr
Tarun Gogoi Tarun Gogoi (1 April 1936 – 23 November 2020) was an Indian politician and lawyer who served as the 13th Chief Minister of Assam from 2001 to 2016. He was the longest serving Chief Minister of Assam. He was a member of the Indian National Con ...
in a ceremony held in
Dibrugarh Dibrugarh () is a city in the Indian state of Assam, located 435 kms east of the state capital Dispur. It serves as the headquarters of the Dibrugarh district in Upper Assam. Dibrugarh also serves as the headquarters of the Sonowal Kach ...
, Assam. The ‘Basudev Jalan Award’, 2012, was awarded to Prof. Tabu Ram Taid by the
Asam Sahitya Sabha The Asam Sahitya Sabha (; ) is a non Government, non profit, literary organisation of Assam. It was founded in December 1917 in Assam, India to promote the culture of Assam and Assamese literature. A branch of the organisation named ''Singapor ...
. The award is conferred on an individual who has contributed towards the growth of language, literature and culture of the ethnic communities in the region. Prof. Tabu Taid was honored with the title ‘Axom Shreshtho 2015’ for his lifelong contribution to Education in the state of
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 ...
. The 'Axom Shreshtho 2015' awards are an endeavor of
The Telegraph (Calcutta) ''The Telegraph'' is an Indian English daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Kolkata since 7 July 1982. It is published by the ABP Group and competes with the Middle-market newspaper '' The Times of India''. The newspaper is ...
to celebrate and honor eminent people who have made the state of
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 ...
proud.


References

* (Linguistic Society of the Mising) – History
The Assam Tribune
3 April 2010, ''AHSEC decision on CBSE syllabus decried''
The Telegraph, Calcutta, India
17 June 2010; Conclave for Youth

Vol. V November–December 2002 – National conference on cultural heritage and traditional knowledge base of the indigenous communities of north-east India


Banikanta Kakati, The Man and his Works
– Book Listing (Open Library)
A Short Note on Mising Phonology
– Pdf file
Google Books – Linguistic bibliography for the year 1996The Assam Tribune
15 November 2010; Contributions of Banikanta Kakati recalled * Presidents of the Mising Agom Kebang.
Sahitya Akademi
Bhasha Samman Awardees, Sahitya Akademi, India.
The Assam Tribune
2 December 2011; Tabu Taid receives Sukapha Award
The Assam Tribune
16 February 2012; Tabu Taid presented Basudev Jalan award
The Telegraph
13 September 2015; Salute to 11 achievers, the pride of Assam {{DEFAULTSORT:Taid, Tabu 1942 births 2019 deaths University of Calcutta alumni Delhi University alumni Scholars from Assam 20th-century Indian linguists 20th-century Indian educational theorists People from Lakhimpur district Assamese-language writers