Mayangnokcha Ao

Mayangnokcha Ao
Mayangnokcha Ao
Born	1901; Changki, Naga Hills District, Assam Province, British India (Now in Mokokchung District, Nagaland, India)
Died	1988
Occupation(s)	Educationist; Writer
Awards	Certificate of Gallantry 1945; Member of British Empire MBE 1946; Padma Shri 1984;

Mayangnokcha Ao (1901–1988) was an Indian educationist and writer from Nagaland and the founder, Vice President of the Naga National Council.^[1]

Early life

Hailing from the Ao Naga tribe, born in Changki village, Nagaland, he was the first graduate from the tribe^[2] and the first Naga headmaster of the Impur Mission Training M. E. School,^[3] the oldest school in the region, where he served from 1927 to 1940.^[4] In 1948, he was appointed as the headmaster of the Government High School Mokokchung.^[2] He was a member of the team which translated the Old Testament into Naga language and was the translator of the Psalms.^[5]

Public life

The British Government awarded Mayangnokcha the 'Certificate of Gallantry' in 1945 and the 'Member of British Empire' MBE in 1946. The Government of India conferred on him the President's 'Best teacher' award in 1964, and awarded Mayangnokcha the fourth highest Indian civilian honour of Padma Shri in 1984.^[6]

In 1966, Ao was part of the five member-Nagaland Peace Commission formed in Kohima as an initiative of the Nagaland Baptist Church Council. It passed a resolution asking government authorities and public to strengthen peace work in Nagaland. Along with Ao, Vizol Koso, Nabakrushna Choudhuri, Lakshmi N. Menon, and Nivukha were part of the commission. They met the Naga underground leaders at Chedema.^[7]

Death

On 29 February 1988, he died at the age of 86. His life has been documented in a biography, Mayangnokcha, the Pathfinder and the Government High School Mokokchung was renamed after him on 16 June 1994 as Mayangnokcha High School.^[2]

Legacy

The Mayangnokcha Award Trust was instituted in 1993 to felicitate toppers in the state Higher Secondary Certificate exams conducted by the Nagaland Board of School Education. In 2021, five awards were conferred on students: academic excellence (overall topper), and subject toppers in Ao Naga language, Science, Mathematics, and English. They were awarded to Keneino Thorie, Atula W. Mongro, Yimyatetla Longkumer, Vibeli K. Achumi, and Tiamong Aier respectively.^[8]

References

^ Chaube, Shibani Kinkar (1999) [1973]. Hill politics in Northeast India. Orient Longman. pp. 153–161. ISBN 81-250-1695-3. OCLC 42913576.
^ ^a ^b ^c "MGHSS: The journey so far…". Sunday Post. 18 May 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
^ Jonathan Glancey (2011). Nagaland: A Journey to India's Forgotten Frontier. Faber and Faber. p. 288. ISBN 9780571276073.
^ "CMHSS Impur, the Oldest School in Nagaland". India Post. 6 June 2008. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
^ "Ao Literature Committee". Language in India. 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
^ "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
^ PTI (11 May 1966). "New Peace Team". The Times of India. p. 1.
^ Eastern Mirror Network (31 July 2021). "MAT shortlists five toppers for Mayangnokcha award". Eastern Mirror.