Renowned writer and tribal intellectual Naresh Chandra Dev Varma from Tripura expressed gratitude for being honored with the Padma Shri award. Dev Varma, a lifelong advocate of the Kokborok language, has authored 34 books in the tribal language and played a crucial role in its academic and cultural development. He believes using Bangla or Devanagari scripts would make Kokborok more accessible for future generations.
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha congratulated Dev Varma for his contributions to Kokborok literature and education. Dev Varma, born in 1944 in Agartala, comes from a marginal farming family and has been actively involved in cultural, social, and intellectual activities. Kokborok, spoken by a significant tribal population in Tripura, was recognized as the second official language in 1979.
