Former DGP of Assam Dr. Kuladhar Saikia wears many hats; he is man of extraordinary zeal and talents. When out in the field, he made a big name for himself by battling social ills like witch-hunting through his ‘Project Prahari’ initiative. And at the same time, he explored human emotions through his riveting writings.
This 1985 batch IPS officer is prolific poet and short story writer as well. However, these are not the only feathers in his cap. Before joining the police service Dr. Saikia also served in Indian Economic Service and Indian Railway Traffic service. He is Post-graduate in Economics and has PhD from IIT. Dr. Saikia is also one of the very few scholars awarded with Fullbright Scholarship at Pennsylvania University and has also served as the Consultant for World Bank in Washington DC.
In a conversation with Indian Masterminds, Dr Saikia, a Sahitya Akademy Winner, talked about his literary works and how is planning to take Assamese language on to the world stage.
AKASOR SOBI AND ANNANYA GALPA
Dr. Saikia was awarded with Sahitya Akademy in 2015 for his 13 short stories collection titled `Akasor Sobi and Annanya Galpa’. Recently the English translation of this book was published with a title ‘Painting of the sky and other stories’.
Dr. Saikia has carved his own niche in the domain of modern literature and his stories deal with human emotions, relationships, as well as hopes and aspirations of the contemporary society. The uniqueness about his writing is the rhythmic tone and poetic touch. The stories of AkasorSobi deals with human touch of emotions but at the same time they also highlight problems of modern day competitive world. Dr. Saikia also knows the art of blending fantasy with reality quite effectively.
Apart from AkasorSobi, he has 20 other collections of short stories to his credit. ‘If a river’ is his collection of stories in English. He is also a well-known dramatist and has published three plays and scripted two tele-films. The ex-top cop has also been awarded with MuninBarkataki Award for Best Book in 1999 and Katha Award for his short stories in 2000. Currently, he is working as the President for Assam Sahitya Sabha and aspiring to bring Assamese on world map.
FOR THE SAKE OF ASSAMESE LANGUAGE
Talking about his vision for the century old-literary organization Dr. Saikia said, “Assam Sahitya Sabha can be called as guardian of Assamese language and literature. The Sahitya Sabha has to ensure that Assamese language feels secured in the midst of continuous challenges posed by other languages. The language has to continue fulfilling its role as a common lingua franca connecting, emotionally and otherwise, multiple communities with each other not just across Assam but in the large areas of the North East”.
He also emphasized that the Sahitya Sabha has to keep pace with the new technology, as ‘electronic literature’ has ushered in unlimited possibilities and opportunities. “Moreover, with the spread of Assamese diaspora all over the globe, their zeal to be connected with their roots through their language, culture and literature, needs special facilitation by the Sabha”, he added.
Dr. Saikia is committed towards promoting his native language. Under his leadership, the Sahitya Sabha is opening different sale and reading counters all over Assam. Besides this, he is also focused on using modern technology to create a digital archive of Assamese literature.
