Hamlet Bareh

Hamlet Bareh Ngapkynta (1931–2012) was an Indian writer, historian and film director from the Northeast Indian state of Meghalaya. He is known as the first person from the Khasi tribe, an indigenous ethnic group of the state, to secure a doctoral degree (PhD) and as the maker of the first feature film in the Khasi language, Ka Synjuk Ri ki Laiphew Syiem (The Alliance of Thirty Kings). He was the chairman of the executive committee of the Rajiv Gandhi University, Arunachal Pradesh, and a recipient of the 2004 Meghalaya Day Award.

Biography Hamlet Bareh was born in Jaiaw Lumsyntiew, a village in the Northeast Indian state of Meghalaya on 3 May 1931 to Besina Dkhar and Mondon Bareh, an educationist, as the youngest of their ten children. He was brought up by his mother as his father died before he turned one and he did his schooling at Jaiaw Practising School, Khasi Jaintia National School and Shillong Boys' Government High School and did his graduate studies at St. Edmund's College, Shillong. After completing his doctoral studies, he resigned from College and took up the post of the Editor of the District Gazetteers of the present day Arunachal Pradesh, then known as North East Frontier Agency (NEFA).

Besides many articles, Bareh published several books, reported to be over 50, which included The Art History of Meghalaya, William Carey in a new perspective, A Short History of Khasi Literature, The Language and Literature of Meghalaya, The History and Culture of the Khasi People and The Church of England. and The Distinguished Educationalists of Meghalaya Past and Present, on the education in Meghalaya and an eight-volume encyclopedia, Encyclopaedia of North-east India. Who's who of Men and Women of Achievement (fourth edition-1989) and Learned Asia (volume 1–1992) have listed his name. Five days later, the Government of India included him in the Republic Day honours list for the civilian honour of the Padma Shri.

Selected bibliography