Arun Sarma

Arun Sarma (3 November 1931 – 27 March 2017) was a writer of Assam. Arun Sarma was one of Assam's contemporary playwrights and is particularly known for his unconventional plays with some elements of drama. Besides drama, he also authored over six novels detailing the Assamese way of life. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2010 in recognition of his contributions to Assamese literature. He has also been awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1998 for the novel Ashirbadar Rong (The Hues of Blessing). He has won the Asam Sahitya Sabha's Best Playwright Award for two consecutive years and also has the rare distinction of having won the Sangeet Natak Akademi award in 2003 for his contributions to drama and the Sahitya Akademi award in 1998 for literature. He was also the recipient of the Assam Valley Literary Award in 2005.

Career Sarma started his career in Guwahati in the editorial staff of The Assam Tribune in 1954. In 1955, he moved to his native village in Halem and joined as an Assistant Headmaster in Madhya Chaiduar High School popularly known as MCD High School established in the year 1948 (Now MCD Higher Secondary School) at Barangabari. In 1960, he came back to Guwahati to join All India Radio. From then till 1986, Sarma was associated with the Guwahati Station of All India Radio, working first as a producer and later as a senior producer. He headed the Educational Broadcasting Section, and did pioneering work in using radio as a potent medium for supplementing classroom education. He had a six-month training stint on Radio Programme Production in BBC, London, in 1969. Through the 1970s and 1980s, Sarma was instrumental in shaping the Drama section of the Guwahati Station. During this period he wrote and directed 47 plays and a good number of radio documentaries for the Station as well as for All India Radio's national programme and received three international best awards for his documentaries. He served as Station Director of the Dibrugarh Station of the All India Radio (1986–89) and retired from government service as Director, AIR, North East Service from Shillong in 1990.

Post retirement, he became the founder editor (1990–92) of the weekly Assamese newspaper Purbachal, and served from 1992 to 1997 as the Director of the Tea Centre of the Indian Tea Association. This was a period of strife in Assam and Sarma was called in to design and execute a set of projects to bridge the local tea industry and the Assamese people. In 2005, Sarma designed, scripted and executed a son-et-lumiere (sound-and-light show) describing the history of Assam which is played daily at the Sankardeva Kalakshetra in Guwahati every evening. He died on 27 March 2017 at the Medanta medical institute.

Awards

For literature Asam Sahitya Sabha (Drama) Award – 1967 Asom Natya Sanmilan Award – 2001 Sahitya Akademi Award – 1998 for the Novel 'Aashirbador Rong' (translated into English titled as 'On a Wing and a Prayer') Sangeet Natak Akademi Award – 2003 Assam Valley Literary Award – 2005 Padma Shri – 2010 Sankaracharyya Avatar Award Literature – 2010

For radio broadcasting Japan Prize (1980) International for the radio documentary "All Buds to bloom". ABU (Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union) Award (1982) for the radio documentary "Caution : Danger Ahead". Prix Futura Berlin Commendation certificate (1983) for the radio documentary "All Lips to Smile". Akashvani Award (Second best radio play in India) for the play titled "Kukurnechia Manuh".

Works

Plays

Urukha Paja (The Leaky Hut): 1954 Jinti: 1955 Sthawor: 1956 Sri Nibaran Bhattacharyya: 1964 Parashuram: 1962 Purush! (The Man): 1965 Kukurnechia Manuh (The Wolf Man): 1968 Ahar (Food): 1970 Chinyor (The Scream): 1972 Buranji Path (The History Lesson): 1978 Padma, Kunti Ityadi (Padma, Kunti, et al.): 1976 Anya Ek Adhyay (Yet Another Chapter): 1994 Poster : 1982 Agnigarh (The Fortress of Fire): 1996 Napoleon Aru Deserie: 1985 Baghjaal (The Tiger Trap): 1983 Chakrabyuha (The Labyrinth): 2003 Aditir Atma Katha (Aditi's Autobiography): 2000 Chitralekha: 2006 Robes of Destiny (A Trilogy in English and some more plays): 2014 Anupam Andhar (Dark is Beautiful): 2013 Arun Sarma Nirbachito Natok (Collected Plays of Arun Sarma): 2014

Novels Ubhala Shipa (The Root Upturned: Also known as Nixi Ujagor: 1979 Niriha Ashroy (Innocent Shelter) Aashirbador Rong (The Hues of Blessings), translated into English titled as 'On a Wing and a Prayer''': 1996 Sankalpa (The Pledge): 2008 Baghjaal (The Tiger Trap - a short novel): 2014 Nepothyo Chandranath: 2014

Poems

Arun Sarmar Kabyanurag : 2012

Essays

Arun Sarmar Natyoproxongo aaru Ononnyo Rosona (Theatre Critiques and other Essays)'' : 2012