He graduated from Bishop's College in Calcutta (then ruled by the British East India Company, now modern Kolkata) in 1830 and published his first literary works during his time there.
Taghiadian then lived briefly in Constantinople, where he narrowly escaped a plot against him by the Armenian Patriarch and again settled in Calcutta.
Having closed his periodical and school and frequently clashing with other members of the Armenian community of Calcutta, Taghiadian decided to return to Armenia.
[4] From 1816 to 1821, he traveled throughout the provinces of Eastern Armenia with a group of monks headed by his teacher Poghos Gharadaghtsi [hy], collecting and recording folk songs and oral traditions.
[9] He published several works during this time, including translations into Classical Armenian of Hugo Grotius's De veritate religionis Christianae (1829) and Reginald Heber's poem Palestine (1830), as well as his own booklet titled Dits’abanut’iwn ("Mythology").
[10][11] Rather over than medium size, his beard and eyes intensely black, each with a lustre peculiar to itself, with a quiet ease and grace about him and a knowledge "of men and things", not to be looked for, he was for a time a mystery.
[14] He lived briefly in New Julfa (1834–1836), where he worked as a teacher and married Tangkhatun Setian, the daughter of a local Armenian merchant.
[4] In 1846, he published his novel Vep Vardgisi, an Armenian adaptation of Heinrich Zschokke's Abällino der große Bandit.
[4] In 1848, he published a long poem in the Romantic style titled Sos yev Sondipi, a love story between an Indian prince and an Armenian.
[4][15] Taghiadian's friend from Calcutta, Tadeos Avetumian, sent a headstone to Shiraz with the following Armenian inscription:[23] Մեսրոպ Դաւթեան Թաղիադեան Պերճ վարժապետ մեծ գիտնական Վսեմ քերթող մատենագիր Հանգիստ առ այս թուխ դամբան Զքեզ հայոց գիտնոց տաճար, Պատուասերէ միշտ սիրավառ Եւ Նոր Ջուղա և Կալկաթա Ոչ մոռասցեն զքեզ իսպառ։ Mesrop Davt’ean T’aghiadean Perch varzhapet mets gitnakan Vsem k’ert’ogh matenagir Hangist ar' ays t’ukh damban Zk’ez hayots' gitnots' tachar, Patvasere misht siravar' Yev Nor Jugha yev Kalkat’a Voch' mor’asts’en zk’ez ispar'։ Mesrop Davtian Taghiadian Illustrious teacher and great scholar Noble poet and writer Rest in this dark tomb All the Armenian learned Shall always honor you enthusiastically Neither New Julfa nor Calcutta Will ever forget you.
Taghiadian saw education, learning and unity as the main means to Armenians' advancement as a nation, and his writings reflect this goal.
[25] In his poem Sos yev Sondipi, Taghiadian expresses ideals of human equality and the social importance of individual happiness.
[25] He believed that the existing Armenian literature was too serious and dense to interest widespread readership and sought to "combine entertainment with practical purposes" in his works.
[29] He criticized what he saw as the hypocrisy of the colonizing powers, who claimed a high level of morality but committed numerous barbarous acts in their colonial conquests.
[29] In particular, Taghiadian criticized the economic exploitation of India by the British and the colonial authorities' indifference to poverty, which he saw firsthand in Calcutta.
[30] Although Taghiadian welcomed the conquest of Armenia by Russia as liberation from oppressive Persian rule,[4] he vigorously opposed Russian serfdom and sympathized with the Decembrist rebels.
In his work Char' dastiarakut’ean oriordats', he emphasized the importance of women's education for the overall benefit of the nation and society.
[32] However, his educational, literary and journalistic activities were highly regarded by many later Armenian authors, such as Mikayel Nalbandian, Raffi, Perch Proshian, and Shirvanzade.