Haricharan Saikia
A Sattriya dancer trained at Majuli's Kamalabari Sattra, still teaching in his late nineties, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2026.
Haricharan Saikia began learning Sattriya, the classical dance that grew up in Assam’s Vaishnava sattras, before India’s independence. In 2026 he was named for the Padma Shri in the field of art, from Assam [1].
Kamalabari Sattra
Saikia was born on 3 February 1930 in Gosaipukhuri village, Lakhimpur district [2]. At eight he was sent to the old Kamalabari Sattra on Majuli, a centre of Vaishnava culture, to learn Sattriya dance and music from its gurus [2]. He stayed there from 1938 to 1962, travelling across Assam and other states to perform under the sattra’s banner [2].
He danced before Jawaharlal Nehru and President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, and sang borgeet on All India Radio in 1948 [2].
Teacher
After leaving the sattra he trained many students and founded several Sattriya music schools across Assam [2]. He encouraged women to take up the dance [2]. In his late nineties he is still principal of the Bihpuria Sattriya Sangeet Vidyalaya [2].
The Government of Assam named him a State Artist in 1991, and he received the Sangeet Natak Akademi’s Tagore award in 2011 [2].
Sources
- [1] Padma Awards 2026: list of awardees — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 11 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Awards 2026 investiture ceremony brochure: citation for Haricharan Saikia — Press Information Bureau, Government of India. Accessed 12 October 2026.
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