Shillong, Apr 28: Former UPSC chairman Prof David R Syiemlieh, who is a scholar of history and culture, received the Padma Shri award in the field of literature and education from President Droupadi Murmu at a ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday.
Prof Syiemlieh was among four Padma Vibhushan, 10 Padma Bhushan, and 57 Padma Shri awardees, who were conferred the awards for the year 2025.
Vice-president Jagdeep Dhankhar, prime minister Narendra Modi, and home minister Amit Shah, were among other dignitaries present at the ceremony.
Born on January 22, 1953, in Mutrapore, Sivasagar, Assam, Prof Syiemlieh graduated with honours in History from St Edmund’s College, Shillong, in 1974. He later earned an M Phil in 1980 and a PhD in 1985 from North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU).
He taught at St. Edmund’s College (1977-1979) and NEHU (1979-2012), where he held several key positions, including dean of Students’ Welfare, head of History department, controller of examinations, registrar (acting), and pro vice-chancellor.
In October 2011, he was appointed vice-chancellor of Rajiv Gandhi University in Arunachal Pradesh.
In 2012, he joined the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) as a member and became its chairman in 2017.
Prof Syiemlieh’s first book, “British Administration in Meghalaya: Policy and Pattern (1989)” established him as a scholar of history and culture of Meghalaya and the North East.
This was followed by “Survey of Research in History on North East India 1970-1990” and an edited volume with JB Bhattacharjee, “Early States in North East India”.
His more recent works include “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.
He also coordinated the research, editing, and publication of “Meghalaya at Fifty 1972-2022”, which was launched on January 21, 2022, to mark the 50th anniversary of Meghalaya’s statehood.
Prof Syiemlieh is credited with researching and discovering the death date and other details of legendary freedom fighter and Khasi king U Tirot Sing.
Prof Syiemlieh has received numerous scholarships and fellowships, including a Government of India Postgraduate Scholarship, a Senior Fulbright Fellowship for research in the USA, a Charles Wallace Grant for research in the UK, and an Indo-France Cultural Exchange Grant for research in Paris.
He served as president of the North East India History Association (NEIHA) in 2010-2011 and was a council member of the Indian Council of Historical Research and the Indian Council of Social Science Research.
He was also elected president of the Modern India Section of the Indian History Congress at its 73rd session in January 2013.
In recognition of his continuous support for education and literature, Prof Syiemlieh serves as an adviser to the Meghalaya State Education Commission and is on the academic council and board of management of several universities.
