Nagaon: Eighty-year-old poet, writer and social activist Puniram Saikia has been selected for the ‘Sainik Shilpi Bishnu prasad Rabha Award’ for the year 2026-27. The award will be presented during Bishnu Prasad Rabha Day celebrations on June 20 next. The event is being organised by Nagaon Zila Sahitya Sanamilani in collaboration with Bharatiya Gana Natya Sangha, Kalangpar Branch, and with support from Nagaon Nartam Kala Niketan. Risheswar Thengal Saikia, President, and Nijora Saikia, Secretary of the organising bodies, announced the award on Sunday.
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A well-known name in Nagaon’s social and literary circles, Saikia is the author of several poetry collections including ‘Samay Papori’, ‘Sendur’ and ‘Prabhati’. He actively participated in the Language Movement, Food Movement, and the movement to establish the state capital in central Assam. In his later years, he led a week-long hunger strike in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office protesting the relocation of the proposed AIIMS for central Assam at Raha.
After retiring in 2002, Saikia has continued writing while raising his voice against corruption and irregularities in society. He also wrote personal letters to the Chief Minister and Prime Minister expressing concern over the deterioration of muga silk farms in Nagaon district. Known as a silent nature lover, he has donated his body for medical science and plants saplings at nearly every public function in the district. The announcement of the award has been welcomed with joy by Nagaon’s intellectual community, as this is the first major recognition for the lifelong activist and poet.
