New Delhi/Agartala: Veteran Kokborok litterateur and educationist Naresh Chandra Debbarma has been conferred the prestigious Padma Shri 2026 in recognition of his outstanding contribution to literature and education. President Droupadi Murmu presented the award to him at a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
Debbarma, a distinguished writer, linguist and cultural scholar, has spent over five decades working towards the preservation, promotion and development of Kokborok, the language spoken by the indigenous Tripuri community. He has authored more than 30 books in Kokborok and has been a vocal advocate for greater institutional recognition of indigenous languages.
In 2024, the Tripura government had honoured him with the Tripura Bhushan Award, the state’s highest civilian honour, in recognition of his decades-long literary and cultural contributions.
Reacting to the national honour, Debbarma had earlier described it as recognition not of himself personally, but of the Kokborok language and its literature, urging younger generations to carry forward the work of documentation and academic development of the language.
The Padma Shri is India’s fourth-highest civilian award.