Bhabendra Nath Saikia

Assamese director born in Nowgong. Physicist with doctorate from Imperial College of Science and Technology, London (1960). Lecturer at Gauhati University (1962-81). Major Assamese short-story writer (e.g. tile anthologies Sindoor, 1973; Shrinkhal, 1976). Prolific radio playwright. Currently edits fortnightly Prantik and children's monthly Safura. Writes his own films, which he believes to be the most important of his creative output, occasionally based on the fiction: e.g. Kola hal. his best-known film, based on his radio play, and Aguisnau, based on his own novel Directorial debut in 1977. Makes art-house films with a strongly melodramatic literary tendency combined with an ethnographic realism the truck scenes of Kolahal.