Prof. Tabu Ram Taid
Professor Tabu Ram Taid, was the founder Director of Anundoram Borooah Institute of Language, Art and Culture, Assam. Initially he was on deputation to ABILAC as the Director from 1990 to 1993. From 1993 to 1997 he was given the responsibility of the Director of ABILAC as an additional charge.
He served as chairman of Zonal Committee of Council of Boards of Secondary Education (COBSE), NE Zone. He was also the Vice-chariman Governing Councill and Chairman, Executive Committee of ABILAC, Assam. He had great love for his mother tongue and formed the Mising Agom Kébang (Mising Sahitya Sabha) and he became the founder president which was formed on 18th April, 1972. He was continuously the president of the Mising Agom Kébang (Mising Sahitya Sabha) till 1980. Under his steersmanship the development of Mising language, literature and script got a formidable momentum. He acted as a Consultant for the NCERT project on State Studies in School Education (for the state of Assam). He was also associated with the Sahitya Akademi (Regional and North-East Oral Literature Centre) and NBT.
Known as one of the well accomplished and internationally acclaimed academics, administrators and researchers, Prof Taid was born on the 1st of August, 1942 in the Ghunasuti village in North Lakhimpur district of Assam. He was the sixth of seven children of his father Ubbang Taid and mother Deuti Taid. He began his career as the founder principal of Dhakuakhana College in 1967. In the same year he got appointment as a lecturer, in the Department of English, Cotton College. Later he became a professor in the same department and served in this college till 1981. He left his job in Cotton College and joined Educational Administration as Inspector of Schools. Finally, he worked in various capacities such as Deputy Director, Additional Director and finally as the Director, Higher Education.
His valuable contribution to the Assamese society and also to the academics and administration has been well acknowledged by many institutions and civil bodies in the form of awards and honours.
He was conferred ‘Agom Migang’ by Mising Agom Kebang in 2007. He was awarded with the Sukapha award in 2011 by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Govt. of Assam. He was also awarded with the ‘Abanari Dagnow’ award by the people of greater Ghunasuti. He was awarded the ‘Bhasha Samman Award, 2010’, by Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi. Asom Sahitya Sabha honoured him with the ‘Basudev Jalan Award’, in 2012. He is also one of the recipients of the ‘Asom Shreshtha, 2015 award (Shiksha)’, given by The Telegraph (in collaboration with the LIC). His is a Literary Pensioner of Govt. of Assam. Krishna Kanta Handiqui State Open University honoured him with Ph.D (Honoris Causa) in 2019.
As an accomplished and internationally acclaimed academic he has made valuable contribution to the academic world.
Dr. Prafulla Mahanta
Dr. Prafulla Mahanta renowned social scientist and scholar assumed the role of the Director of ABILAC after Prof. Tabu Ram Taid in the year 1998 and continued in this post till 31st December, 2005. He did hid his Ph.D research on the growth and development of Assamese middle class under the supervision of Dr. Hiren Gohain. in 1966 he joined Diphu college as a lecturer in Assamese. In 1968 he joined Diphu college and served there till 1994 before joining ABILAC as a research fellow. Later in 1998 he was appointed as the director of the institute and he served in this position till 2005. He has 15 books to his credit.