Bhabendra Nath Saikia

Bhabendra Nath Saikia (Assamese: ভবেন্দ্ৰ নাথ শইকীয়া; 20 February 1932 – 13 August 2003) was a novelist, short-story writer, editor and film director from Assam, India. Dr. Saikia received his doctorate in physics from the University of London. He began his career as a reader in the Department of Physics, University of Guwahati. He later played an important role in the publication of college level textbooks in the Assamese language during his tenure as the Secretary of the Co-ordination Committee for production of textbooks in regional languages.Saikia was the founding editor of the Assamese language weekly Prantik and the children's magazine Safura. He has written plays for radio and theatre. He was the director and screenplay writer for eight Assamese language films, receiving the Rajat Kamal Award from the Government of India for seven.

He won many literary awards, including Sahitya Academy (1976), and was also recognised with the Padma Shri in 2001. He was awarded the 'Assam Valley Literature Award' in 1990. Bhabendra Nath Saikia was born on 20 February 1932 at Nagaon town. He passed his matriculation examination in 1948 from Nagaon Government Boy's Higher Secondary School (where he was founder editor of school magazine 'UDAY') and the intermediate examination in Science in 1950, both with first division marks. He passed BSc Examination in 1952 with honours in Physics from the Cotton College of Gauhati University. He received a post graduate degree in Physics from the Presidency College of Calcutta University. He obtained his PhD in physics from the University of London in 1961. He also obtained a diploma from the Imperial College of Science & Technology, London, in 1961. He later worked as reader in Physics at the Gauhati University. He became a member of Sangeet Natak Akademi, India.

Saikia edited the Prantik (প্ৰান্তিক), an Assamese monthly magazine, and a children's magazine named Xaphura (সঁফুৰা), both in the Assamese language. He was also the president of the Jyoti Chitraban which was for a long time the only film studio in Assam. He had the unique distinction of having won the National Awards for each of his seven Assamese films. For his services to the literature, culture and cinema of Assam, Saikia was awarded the Padma Shri in 2001.Having spent his childhood in poverty, Saikia established the Aarohan Trust in Guwahati using the money he received from the Assam Valley Literary Award to provide free training to poor children interested in art, theatre, and music. Saikia died on 13 August 2003 in Guwahati, survived by his wife Preeti Saikia and two daughters. The Assam Government has named a road in Guwahati and a state award in his honour.