Saikia (92) is survived by his wife, three daughters and a son.
He was also the first secretary of the Assam State Electricity Board, which he joined in 1958.He had authored two books in English 'Black is Beautiful' and 'Brown Star' on the achievements and contributions of the Afro-American and the Indian communities in USA respectively.
Saikia had also compiled a collection of Assamese Poems 'Sunor Sophura' starting from the 16th century till the 20th century, Assamese books on 16th century religious and social reformers of Assam Sri Sri Sankar Deb and Sri Sri Madhab Deb, besides one on the childhood of Sri Krishna 'Oisana Mohana Balagopala'.
An engineering alumnus of Benaras Hindu University as well as Yale and Columbia Universities in the US, Saikia was closely associated with Einstein as a student and with the then president at Columbia University and later American president Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Prior to his ASEB appointment, Saikia was involved in the construction of the Bhakra Nangal project in Punjab in the early 1950s.
He had permanently moved to the USA in 1991 and one of his daughters include journalist Enaxi Saikia Barua.
