PASIGHAT, Jul 9: Assistant Professor of Mass Communication at Arunachal Pradesh University, Dr Prem Taba, has been awarded the prestigious SAARC Research Grant (SRG) 2026-27 by the SAARC Cultural Centre, Colombo, for a research project on cross-cultural heritage in museums across the SAARC region.
The award was announced through an official letter dated July 8, signed by SAARC Cultural Centre Director Dr Kaushalya Kumarasinghe, who described the selection process as highly competitive and praised the proposal for its scholarly merit and relevance.
Dr Taba’s research project, titled “When the Vitrine Silences the Forest: Decolonising Tribal Heritage Communication in the Museums of the Eastern Himalayan SAARC Corridor,” will examine how the Jawaharlal Nehru State Museum, Itanagar and the National Museum of Bhutan in Paro represent the tribal communities of the region.
Each awardee under the programme receives US $3,000, disbursed in two installments — half at the commencement of the project and the remaining amount upon submission and acceptance of the final research report.
Expressing his gratitude, Dr Taba said the recognition was a matter of pride not only for him but also for Arunachal Pradesh's academic and cultural community.
“This grant recognises that the heritage of our tribal communities forms part of South Asia's shared cultural memory. It provides an opportunity to bring indigenous voices from Arunachal Pradesh into global conversations on museum representation and heritage,” he said.
The SAARC Research Grants programme, approved by the Governing Board of the SAARC Cultural Centre and endorsed by the SAARC Programming Committee, invited scholars from all SAARC member countries to submit original research proposals on cross-cultural heritage narratives in museums.
Under the grant, Dr Taba will prepare a publishable research report incorporating recommendations of the Centre's review committees, with the completed work eligible for publication under the SAARC Cultural Centre's publications programme.