Dr. Bhabendra Nath Saikia appeared on the literary scene as a highly promising and accomplished Assamese short story writer in 1952 when he was still a student of the Post -gradute Physics Department of Presidency College, Calcutta. He has been active in this scene for the last 33 years.Among the major creative writers of Assam in the post-independence period, Dr. Saikia has also the most distinctive record of activities as a man connected with the various fields of art, culture and education.

Dr. Saikia became the first recipient of the Publication Board Award of Assam, being adjudged the best Assamese writer of 1970-72 on the basis of a collection of his short stories (‘Sendoor’). He received the Sahitya Akademi Award, India for 1976 for his book ‘Shringkhal’.He also received the Sahityik Haranath Ghosh Medal of the Bangiya Sahitya Parishad for 1981.

Dr. Saikia’s first film ‘Sandhyarag’ received the Rajat Kamal Award of 1977 of the Government of India and has been screened at several international festivals in India and abroad through the Directorate of Film Festivals, Govt. of India. ‘Anirban’ the second film made bu Dr. Saikia also won Rajat Kamal in 1981.

A past member of the Sangeet Natak Akademi and of the Sahitya Akademi (India), Dr. Saikia was associated with the national and international film festivals of India in various capacities.

Dr. Saikia has a doctoral degree in Physics from London University and also a diploma from Imperial College of science and Technology, London. He was a Reader in the Post-gradute Department of Physics at Guwahati University, Assam till 1968 and an academic officer of Guwahati University till 1978. He was the chief editor of ‘Prantik’ and editor of ‘Sofura’.