Sangeeta Saikia Das, eldest daughter of Bhabendranath Saikia, carries the flame during the cremation of the filmmaker and litterateur at the Nabagraha cremation ground in Guwahati on Thursday. Picture by UB Photos

Guwahati, Aug. 14: The sun shone brightly, but dimmed when it was time for Bhabendranath Saikia to make his last journey. Nobody could have missed the symbolism.

As the cortege moved out of the Saikia residence late in the afternoon, clouds gathered overhead and droplets of rain merged with the tears that flowed down the cheeks of family members, friends and admirers. It was as if heaven and earth had joined hands to bid a tearful farewell to the master storyteller, whose own life story came to an end yesterday morning.

Thousands of people witnessed the last rites of Saikia, whose films and writings bear the unmistakable stamp of genius.

In a departure from tradition, Saikia’s eldest daughter, US-based doctor Sangeeta Saikia Das, lit the pyre. It was a fitting tribute to the master of celluloid and print, because both his stories and films invariably had women as the main protagonists. Six of his seven films revolved around female characters searching for their place in the sun.

A police team gave a 21-gun salute as the funeral pyre was lit at exactly 5.40 pm. Sangeeta’s younger sister, also based in the US, could not arrive in time for the cremation.

Leading lights of the literary and film worlds joined the cortege at various points as the procession wound its way through the city. The hearse was first taken to the Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra, of which Saikia was the vice-chairperson.

The hearse then travelled to Jyoti Chitrabon Studios, Doordarshan, All India Radio, the office of the fortnightly magazine Prantik — of which Saikia was the founder-editor — Rabindra Bhawan, Cotton College, and finally to the Nabagraha crematorium.

As the pyre was lit against the backdrop of the darkening sky, the ambience bore a striking resemblance to the last scenes of a couple of his films. Like the protagonists he created, Saikia had strode into the sunset.

Chief minister Tarun Gogoi, PCC chief Paban Singh Ghatowar, Opposition leaders and top police officials, including director-general Hare Krishna Deka, were present at the cremation.

In a condolence message, AICC president Sonia Gandhi said Saikia’s death had created a void that would be difficult to fill.