Renowned Tenyidie linguist, scholar and intellect, Dr Duovituo Kuolie, popularly known as D Kuolie, passed away on Monday morning at his home in Kerie Dzükha in Kohima after a brief illness. He was 68.
The accomplished poet and writer was winner of the Governor’s Award for Literature in 2007 and the Bhasha Samman by Sahitya Akademi (National Academy of Letters) in 2005.
Dr D Kuolie retired in September 2021 as Professor and Head of the Department of Linguistics (Tenyidie) at Nagaland University, Kohima Campus, Meriema, and was currently serving as the General Secretary of Ura Academy.
Educational Qualifications:
– Early education from Government Primary & Middle School, Chedema
– Studied in Govt. High School, Kohima upto matriculation (1972)
– Graduated in Kohima College under Northeastern Hill University (1978)
– M.A (English) from NEHU (1985)
– M.A. (Linguistics) – University of Poona, Maharashtra (1989)
– M.A. (Tenyidie) – Ura Academy, Kohima (1992)
– Ph. D. in Linguistics, Deccan College, Post-Graduate & Research Institute, Pune (2004)
Professional background:
– Headmaster at Government Middle School, Chedema (1981-1990)
– Lecturer at Kohima College (1990-1997)
– Lecturer and Head In-Charge of the Department of Tenyidie at Nagaland University (1997-1999)
– Senior Lecturer and Head in-Charge at Nagaland University (1999-2002)
– Head in-Charge until 2012
– Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Tenyidie until 2013.
– As Professor & Head, Department of Tenyidie and Linguistic upto July 2016,
– Professor & Head Department of Linguistic till September 2021.
Contributions to Tenyidie and literature:
– Development of Tenyidie
– Documentation of Tenyidie folk songs
– People Linguistic Survey of India, Nagaland State
– Digital preservation and technology development for the languages of Northeast India
– Tenyimia folklore and verses
– Academic exploration of Tenyidie as a discipline
– Study of tribal customs, traditions, and cultural mapping of the Nagas
– Analysis of Tenyimia festivals as the basis of the community’s socio-cultural life
– Examination of Tagore’s Gitanjali as a pre-translation engagement for Tenyidie
Contributions to Ura Academy:
Dr D Kuolie was an active member of the Ura Academy, serving as Chairman of the Tenyidie Textbook Division since 1998. He was also a member of the Nagaland State Library Committee and the Nagaland State Language Policy Framing Committee since 2016, as well as a member of the Nagaland State Research Board at SCERT since 2017.
Community Involvement:
– Chairman of the Chedema Village Council (1980-1981)
– Secretary of the Chedema Village Development Board (1981-1982)
– Chairman of the Village Education Committee (2005-2008)
– Editor of Ura Dze, a monthly Tenyidie literary journal (1994 to present).