HT Correspondent
NAGAON, June 15: Veteran poet, writer and social activist Puniram Saikia has been selected for the prestigious Sainik Shilpi Bishnu Prasad Rabha Award for the year 2026-27.
The award will be presented during the Bishnu Prasad Rabha Divas celebrations on June 20.
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The programme is being organised by Nagaon Zila Sahitya Sanmilani in collaboration with Bharatiya Gana Natya Sangha, Kalangpar Branch, with support from Nagaon Nartan Kala Niketan.
The announcement was made by the organisers, including president Risheswar Thengal Saikia and secretary Nijora Saikia.
Eighty-year-old Puniram Saikia is a well-known figure in Nagaon’s literary and social circles.
He has authored several poetry collections, including Samay Papori, Sendur and Prabhati, and has remained actively engaged in literary and public life for decades.
Saikia participated in several significant socio-political movements, including the Language Movement, the Food Movement and the campaign for establishing the state capital in central Assam.
In later years, he drew attention for leading a week-long hunger strike in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office in protest against the relocation of the proposed AIIMS for central Assam from Raha.
Since his retirement in 2002, he has continued his literary pursuits while actively raising concerns about corruption, administrative irregularities and environmental issues.
He also wrote to the Chief Minister and the Prime Minister highlighting the decline of muga silk cultivation in Nagaon district.
Known for his commitment to environmental conservation, Saikia regularly plants saplings at public functions and has pledged to donate his body for medical research.
The announcement of the award has been widely welcomed by members of Nagaon’s literary and intellectual community, many of whom described it as a fitting recognition of Saikia’s lifelong contribution to literature, social activism and public welfare.
