January 27, 2022: Excellence Plus!

The news of T. Senka Ao being conferred with the Padma Shri award has lifted the spirits of many in Mokokchung and for the right reason. It is not every day that a citizen of a small town like Mokokchung is awarded the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian award. His eminence in the field of Ao literature as well as his contributions to society in various capacities is inimitable and the awards testify exactly that.
The Padma Shri award has recognized his achievements and long stretch distinguished service in all fields of his endeavor. According to the Padma Awards portal maintained by the Union Home Ministry, the award is given for “special services” and not merely for “long service” and that the main consideration for the award is the lifetime achievement of an individual. The portal also says that the award seeks to recognize achievements of a person in all fields of activities or disciplines where an element of public service is involved. It should not be merely excellence in a particular field but the criteria have to be excellence plus, states the Padma awards selection criteria.
At seventy-seven, T. Senka Ao is still actively involved in various activities and is working on releasing his ninth major publication. After dedicating his youth to the service of the community, he pursued his career as a writer and his works in the Ao Naga language are read by students in their curriculum today. His contribution towards promotion and development of Ao Naga literature is unambiguously complemented by his contribution to education development. His peace building roles and conflict resolution efforts during the 1980s cannot be left unmentioned. A gifted wordsmith, his works will capture the imagination of many a littérateur of Ao Naga literature in the future.
A Padma Shri award for a literary expert like T. Senka Ao has been a long time coming and the pleasant news has come in at just the right time. This Padma Shri award is more than a recognition of his excellence plus. It is the triumph of an illustrious career and the blessing of a long life lived well, one that will inspire a countless more.