The Indian National Confederation and Academy of Anthropologists (INCAA) has instituted the Prof. T.C. Sharma Best Paper Award to encourage high-quality academic research in anthropology, particularly among young researchers and early-career scholars.
The award was formally introduced during INCAA’s annual meet held at Pondicherry University from February 21 to 23, 2026, where a special best paper award panel was organised as part of the programme.
The session opened with an address by Kishore Basa, Chairman of INCAA, who highlighted the academic journey and contributions of the late T. C. Sharma, former Professor of Anthropology at Gauhati University.
Prof. Basa recalled Prof. Sharma’s early training in archaeological excavations, including his participation in major international projects such as the British Museum excavations at High Lodge in Suffolk, UK, and Cambridge University excavations in Northampton, along with fieldwork at Nevasa in Maharashtra.
He also outlined Prof. Sharma’s extensive research work in leading international museums, including the British Museum in London, the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at the University of Cambridge, the Pitt Rivers Museum at Oxford University, the Musée de l’Homme in Paris and the Museum Volkenkunde at Leiden University in the Netherlands.
These experiences, he said, shaped Prof. Sharma’s distinguished career in anthropology, particularly in prehistoric archaeology.
Prof. Sharma’s major contributions include the excavations at Daojali Hading in Assam, exploration of prehistoric sites in the Garo Hills, documentation of megalithic traditions in Manipur and Nagaland, research on fossil wood and stone tool industries in Tripura, and excavations at Ambari in Guwahati, among others.
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The institution and coordination of the award were led by Subho Roy, Member Secretary of INCAA and Professor at the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata.
The jury panel comprised Indu Talwar, Anjali Kurane and Arun Kumar.
Out of the total papers received, eight were shortlisted for presentation.
The first Prof. T.C. Sharma Best Paper Award was conferred on Chandrasekhar Upadhyay, Senior Research Fellow at the Anthropological Survey of India, SRC Mysore.
INCAA said the award is a tribute to Prof. Sharma’s wide-ranging scholarship, which spanned archaeology, anthropology, ancient history, policy research and indigenous knowledge systems.
The organisation expressed hope that the award will serve as a inspiration for young scholars to pursue meaningful research that contributes to both the discipline and society at large.
