Bhabendra Nath Saikia ( ড° ভবেন্দ্ৰ নাথ শইকীয়া) Birth Anniversary: Dr. Bhabendra Nath Saikia was an Assamese novelist, short story writer, and film director. He received numerous literary awards, including the Sahitya Akademi in 1976 and the Padma Shri in 2001.
Bhabendra Nath Saikia was born in Faujdari Patti, Nagaon, Assam, India on February 20, 1932. He was born into a low-income family. His father, Bidur Chandra Saikia, was a teacher who struggled to make ends meet. He passed his matriculation examination in 1948 and the Intermediate Science examination in 1950. In 1952, he received a BSc honours degree from Gauhati University’s Cotton College. He later earned a postgraduate degree in Physics from Calcutta University’s Presidency College.
অসমৰ সাহিত্য আৰু সাংস্কৃতিক পৰিমণ্ডলত ড° ভবেন্দ্ৰ নাথ শইকীয়া দেৱ উজ্জ্বল ৰত্নৰ দৰে জিলিকি আছে। এইগৰাকী বহুমুখী প্ৰতিভাধৰে সাহিত্য সৃষ্টিৰ পৰা চলচ্চিত্ৰ নিৰ্মাণলৈ, শিক্ষকতাৰ পৰা ভ্ৰাম্যমাণলৈ সকলো দিশতে তেখেতৰ অতুলনীয় দক্ষতাৰ চানেকি দেখুৱাই থৈ গৈছে ৷ pic.twitter.com/QkJtghceFt
— Keshab Mahanta (@keshab_mahanta) February 20, 2023
Saikia had a 21-year career, from 1977 to 1999, and made eight films, seven in Assamese and one in Hindi. Sandhyaraag, Anirban, Kolahal, Itihas, Abartan, and Agnisnan are among the Kalakhetra 6 films.
His inventiveness was such that he was always at the fore of a line of stalwarts in his own field. Dr. Saikia, along with a select few of his age group, has elevated Assamese literature to new heights, earning him a slew of awards in the process.
What is remarkable in his case is that the discerning people of Assam have lost count of the awards he has received but have kept his works like “SHRINGKHAL,” “BANAPRASTHA,” “GAHBAR,” “ANTAREEP,” and others close to their hearts. In addition to his magnificent creations, Dr. Saikia has ventured into a completely new field, that of filmmaking. Someone once said of Dr. Saikia that he has a “Midas Touch” on whatever he touches. To demonstrate this, he has directed films such as “SANDHYARAAG”, “AGNISHNAN”, “KOLAHAL”, “SARATHI”, and “KAALSANDHYA”.
Each of his films received not only positive reviews, but also national and international recognition. It should be noted that all of his films were based on his own literary creations. One advantage of this transformation is that he was able to translate all of his literary details to celluloid. These accomplishments have undoubtedly made us proud.
Dr. Saikia has also contributed to the publication of a few prestigious journals, the most well-known of which is “PRANTIK,” with which he has been associated since its inception. SOFURA, a children’s journal, had ceased publication for a time but has since resumed under his capable leadership. Readers of “PRANTIK” will agree that Dr. Saikia has given the journal a very respectable appearance, not only in terms of presentation, but also in terms of the variety and depth of its contents.
