Arun Sarma

Arun Sarma was an Assamese writer, particularly known for his unconventional plays. He was born on 3 November, 1931 in Dibrugarh, Assam. His father, Tilak Chandra Sarma, used to work as an editor of The Times of Assam newspaper. In 1935, his family migrated to a village near Halemguri, where his father decided to take up farming (tea plantation) and got himself engaged in social work. Then, Arun completed his schooling and matriculation at Tezpur High School in 1948.

He later pursued a Bachelor of Arts (Honours in Education) at Cotton College, Guwahati, and completed his degree in 1954. During his college days, he developed an interest in drama and poetry and started writing a few dramas and poems. He got married to Arati, who was the granddaughter of Karmaveer Chandranath Sarma, an Assamese Freedom Fighter, and had two children - Ochintya and Nandinee.

Arun started his career in Guwahati by working in the editorial staff of The Assam Tribune in 1954. Next year, he moved to his native village, Halem where he started working as an Assistant Headmaster at Madhya Chaiduar High School, which was established in the year 1948 (also known as MCD Higher Secondary School) at Barangabari. Then in 1960, he returned to Guwahati and joined All India Radio and got associated with its Guwahati Station where he worked as a senior producer till 1986.

In All India Radio, Arun was responsible for heading the Educational Broadcasting Section and used radio as a significant medium for conducting educational classes. In 1969, he also got a stint training in Radio Programme Production in Britain’s popular media channel, BBC, London. During the 1970s and 1980s, Arun worked tirelessly to shape the Drama section of his Guwahati Station. In the same period, he wrote and directed almost forty-seven plays and a couple of radio documentaries for which he received three international awards. He also worked for All India Radio's National program. In the following years (186-89), Arun worked as the Director of the Dibrugarh Station for All India Radi, and finally took retirement in 1990 from the government service as the Director of All India Radio, North East Service at Shillong.

Arun has written several Assamese plays, novels and poems such as Urukha Paja, Sri Nibaran Bhattacharyya, Kukurnechia Manuh, Padma, Kunti Ityadi, Chinyo, Agnigarh, Chakrabyuha, Anupam Andhra, Arun Sarma Nirbachito Natok, Niriha Ashroy, Baghjaal, Aashirbador, Ubhala Shipa, Arun Sarmar Natyoproxongo aaru Ononnyo Rosona, Aashirbador Rong, among others. For his remarkable literary works, he has won various awards such as the Asam Sahitya Sabha (Drama) Award, Sahitya Akademi Award, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Sankaracharyya Avatar Award Literature, etc. Similarly, he has won the Japan Prize (1980) International, ABU (Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union) Award, Akashvani Award (Second best radio play in India), and Prix Futura Berlin Commendation certificate in the field of radio broadcasting.

Even after retirement, Arun never gave up his passion for trying new endeavors and became the founder editor of the Assamese weekly newspaper, Purbachal. From 1992 to 1997, he served as the Director of the Tea Centre at the Indian Tea Association. He was also called in 2005 to design, script, and execute a sound and light show (son-et-lumiere) to describe the history of Assam and it is played every day in Guwahati at the Sankardeva Kalakshetra every evening. Arun passed away on 27 March, 2017 at the Medanta Medical Institute and his death robbed Assamese cultural life and literature of a great personality.