A Tribute to Ajanta Saikia

Late Ajanta Saikia Gogoi, born on 6th August, 1957 at Amalapatty, Pratap Sarmah Path, Nagaon was the daughter of Late Jaliram Saikia and Late Pankajini Saikia. A jolly girl with an ever smiling face, she was fondly called Mamoni or Moni by those who knew her as a child. She started her schooling at No. 1 Nimna Buniyadi School, from where she moved on in 1965 to join Nagaon Girls' High School. Having lost her mother quite early in life, she passed her HSLC in the year 1973 by staying at her maternal aunt, Late Padmawati's place. Thereafter, she completed her PU (Arts) from Nagaon College and took admission in BA in the same college in 1974. She was intensely involved in games and sports, a domain in which she displayed her calibre as a promising sports person, when she was still a school going child. In fact, she enrolled herself for specialised coaching in volleyball, badminton etc in the Nurul Amin Stadium, Nagaon, while she was still in school. She represented the Assam Women's Volleyball Team in the National Volleyball Championship in Jamshedpur (1972), Trivandrum (1973) and in 1975, she went on to become the captain of the team representing the State in the National Championship held in Vijayawada. She participated in the 2nd National Sports Festival, New Delhi in 1976.

Having won the Bronze Medal in Javelin Throw in the Asian Meet (1994), Gold Medal in Discus Throw and Silver Medal in Shot-put in the Malaysian Open Meet held in Kuala Lumpur (1998) and again, the Bronze Medal in Javelin Throw in the same Meet in Malaysia (2002), it goes without saying that hers was indeed a commendable performance in the Masters' Athletics at the later stage of her sporting career.

So far as her conjugal life was concerned, she got married to Lakhi Gogoi on 11th July, 1977 and shifted base to Vizag, where her husband was working for the Indian Navy. Both her children were born in Vizag and later on, when her husband was transferred to Mumbai, her family moved on to live there for a while. She, along with her children shifted back to Guwahati in the year 1984, when her husband left to join the Merchant Navy.

Late Ajanta Saikia Gogoi worked for the Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs till her retirement.

–Dilip Kumar Saikia (Brother)

Also Read: Assam Filmmaker Dara Ahmed Passes Away