NEW DELHI, Dec 17 - Additional Director of Assam Police Kula Saikia has been honoured with this year�s Sahitya Akademi Award for his short-story collection Akashar Chhabi Aru Anyanya Galpa, while Brajendra Kr Brahma has won the Sahitya Akademi Award for his poetry Baidi Dengkhw Baidi Gab.
In all, six books each of short-stories and poetry, four novels, two books each of essays, criticism and plays, and one of memoirs have won the Sahitya Akademi Award this year. The Award in Bengali will be announced later, it was declared here today.
The jury that selected Kula Saikia�s works included Gangapada Choudhury, Nirupama Borgohain and Dr Namita Deka, while Brahma�s book was selected by a jury comprising Gobinda Narzary, Dr Indira Boro and Mihir Kr Brahma.
The books were selected on the basis of recommendation by a jury of three members in the concerned language in accordance with the procedure. According to the procedure, the executive board declared the awards on the basis of unanimous selection made by the jurors or selection made on the basis of majority vote.
Well-known as a short-story writer, Kula Saikia has got 12 short-story collections published to his credit. In the year 2000, he was honoured with the prestigious Katha Award. He is a regular contributor to the vernacular and English dailies and journals on special themes and current issues, ranging from economic development, brand management, energy planning to literary criticism and public diplomacy.
His write-ups have appeared in The Assam Tribune. He was one of the editors of the publication Assam: Beyond 2000 � a vision document for growth and development of the State. He has also played an important role in the publication of Assam Police: Through the Years as a member of the three-member editorial board.
Brajendra Kumar Brahma, former president of the Bodo Sahitya Sabha (BSS), had earlier bagged the Tagore Literary Award, 2009, of the Sahitya Akademi for his book Raithai Mala, a collection of poems, which was published in 2006.
A winner of three awards till date, Brahma was born on June 1, 1943. He passed his matriculation in 1959 from Sakti Ashram Vocational High School, BA in 1968 from St Edmund�s College, Shillong, and BT in 1977 from Goalpara Government BT College.
He has been associated with the Bodo Sahitya Sabha since long. He served as its joint secretary during 1986-89 and 1990-92. During 1986-88, he was the vice-president of the Bodo Writers� Academy, then an adviser of the same, and subsequently the president of the BSS during 2002-04 and 2005-07. He was also the chief editor of Gwdan Giyan, a monthly GK in Bodo, and the chief editor of Somni Agan, a monthly magazine of Bodo poetry.
