By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, April 28: The President of India, Droupadi Murmu, on Monday conferred the Padma Shri to academician David Reid Syiemlieh from Meghalaya in the field of Literature and Education during the ceremony.
Prof. Syiemlieh is a scholar of history and culture of the North East and a former Chairman of the Union Public Service Commission.
Born on January 22, 1953, in Assam’s Mutrapore, he graduated with honours in History in 1974 from St. Edmund’s College, Shillong. This was followed by an MPhil in 1980 and a PhD in 1985 from the North-Eastern Hill University.
He taught in St. Edmund’s College (1977-1979) and NEHU (1979-2012), where he held several responsible positions, including Dean of Students’ Welfare, Head, Department of History, and Controller of Examinations, apart from officiating as Registrar and holding the position of Pro-Vice-Chancellor.
Prof Syiemlieh was appointed Vice-Chancellor of the Rajiv Gandhi University in Arunachal Pradesh in October 2011. He joined as a Member of the UPSC in 2012 and was elevated to Chairman five years later.
Prof. Syiemlieh’s first book, British Administration in Meghalaya: Policy and Pattern, published in 1989, established him as a scholar grounded in the history and culture of Meghalaya and the region beyond.
This was followed by Survey of Research in History on North East India 1970-1990 and an edited volume with JB Bhattacharjee titled Early States in North East India.
His more recent publications are On the Edge of Empire: Four British Plans for North East India and Layers of History: Essays on the Khasi-Jaintias, a collection of 17 articles on the history and culture of the Khasi-Jaintia people of Meghalaya.
He is credited with researching and discovering the date of death and other details of the last days of U Tirot Sing, the Syiem Hima Nongkhlaw in Khasi Hills, who took a leading role in resisting British expansion into the Khasi Hills and died while under house arrest as a state prisoner on July 17, 1835.
The day is annually observed in Meghalaya as a state holiday to commemorate the life, sacrifice, and patriotism of the freedom fighter.
Prof. Syiemlieh has received several scholarships/fellowships, including a Government of India Post Graduate Scholarship, Senior Fulbright Fellowship for research in the USA, Charles Wallace Grant for research in the UK, and Indo-France Cultural Exchange Grant for research in Paris.
He was elected President, NEIHA in 2010-2011. He was a Council Member for two terms of the Indian Council of Historical Research, New Delhi. He was a Council Member of the Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi, for a term.
He was elected President of the Modern India Section, Indian History Congress at its 73rd session, Bombay University in January 2013. He is on the academic council and board of management of several universities. In his continued support of education and literature, he is the Adviser, Meghalaya State Education Commission.
The President of India presented four Padma Vibhushan, 10 Padma Bhushan and 57 Padma Shri awards for 2025 at the Civil Investiture Ceremony-I held at the Ganatantra Mandap of the Rashtrapati Bhawan on Monday.
