“My father Sir Keith Cantlie served in the Indian Civil Service from 1910 till his retirement in 1947. So, in a way I consider myself daughter of Assam, a land of outstanding natural beauty with distant views of the snow and Himalayas”
With her disarming smile simple down to earth and smiling manner the bespectacled Dr. Audrey Cantlie welcomes you with a big smile at her door at Oxford street as if somebody of her own. She has an emotional bond for Assam and the Assamese people.
I still remember the day I met her sometime in September, 1998 at SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies, London) I introduce myself as an Assamese I could see the sparkle in her eyes: said to me "How many Assamese people are in London? I love to meet them". Dr. Audrey Cantlie was born in Shillong in 1923. She spent her six years in Jorhat where her father was Deputy Commissioner. So, in some ways she consider herself a daughter of Assam.
After taking a degree in Sociology at the London School of Economics, she returned to Assam for fieldwork and carried out a study of a village near Jorhat, which was later published under the title of ‘The Assamese’. It is perhaps the only intensive work done in the plains of Assam and I like to think of it as a small contribution to understanding a unique way of life and, more particularly, the religion founded by Sankardeva.
After working on the staff at the London School of Economics. She moved to the School of Oriental and African Studies where I still teach part-time to the present day.
Few weeks after we have organized the 550th Sankar Jayanti at Wembley when we invited her as our chief guest. The speech she delivered about Sankardev was so informative. Since then Dr. Cantlie always shares every Assamese Community function in London. Her guidance and support is very valuable to me at my work in a women oriented matter.
From studying, Sociology at the London School of Economics and to teach at (School of Oriental and African Studies. Her beautiful past as an Assamese is still in her mind. She wrote “The Assamese” dedicated to the memory of her father Sir Keith Cantlie who served 40 years in the state of Assam. How beautifully she expressed the qualities of Assamese people in this book.
Call her a professor, teacher, academician for rest of our Assamese society in London she is just our “Cantlie baidew”
During her stay at Guwahati, we have organised an interactive session with teachers, academicians, journalists and students at Sudmersen Hall, Cotton College on Wednesday 13 February, 2008 at 4:00pm.
PermalinkSubmitted by Utpal Hazarika on Sun, 16/11/2008 - 01:32
I am from BANI MANDIR, a publication house from Assam since 1949. Many people want to buy this book, but due to the price 99% people cannot effort. If I get the publication right I can reprint the in Indian cheaper price and most of the people can buy and can preserve the book. I tried with the author but could not contact. Can anybody passon this message to the author of the this book.Thanks.
Utpal Hazarika
banimandir@gmail.com
Rajya Sabha member Birendra Prasad Baishya on Wednesday sought Centre’s assistance help to modernize ferries in Assam two days after around 250 people were believed to have met watery grave when an overloaded boat capsized on the river Brahmaputra in Dhubri.
Raising the issue in the zero hour session of parliament, Baishya expressed grief over the accident. He called it one of the worst disastes in the country. He said that there was an urgent need to modernise these ferries.
He said that the ill-fated boat had sold 350 tickets and around 400 passengers were expected to be on board when it was struck by a storm in the Brahmaputra river.
BSF officials are set to hold a crucial meet with their Bangladesh counterparts to discuss the recovery of the victims on the river Brahmaputra in Dhubri.
A flag-meeting would be held on the Indo-Bangladesh border somewhere along the Indo-Bangla border. Besides officials of the BSF and Border Guards Bangladesh, the meeting would be attended by the District Commissioner and Superintendent of Police of Dhubri and their counterparts of Bangladesh.
The Centre has been in touch with the Bangladesh government to recover bodies of victims of the Brahmaputra boat tragedy that may have been washed downstream to the neighbouring country.
Over 3,700 bottles of Phensedyl, a cough syrup, valued at Rs 3 lakh were today seized from the possession of a person at Guwahati railway station on Wednesday.
Acting on a tip off, the police arrested one Sanjay Singh, who was travelling in the Awadh-Assam Express, and recovered the cough syrup bottles from his posession which were being illegally brought into the state. Singh hails from Katihar in Bihar and was bringing the phensedyl for selling.
The Assam government pulls up its sleeves to modernize the ferry services.
Opening the conference of DCs and SPs in Dispur on Wednesday, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi admitted that the boat tragedy in Dhubri took place because of an old ferry service. He said that the government would lay emphasis on development of river transport to check recurrence of such incidents in the future.
Addressing the DCs and SPs, Gogoi said emphasis has to be given on developing river transport in a big way.
He urged the DCs and SPs to take strong action against those who carry excess load in boats and buses beyond their permissible limits.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi visited Medartary on Wednesday two days after the tragic boat mishap claimed over 200 lives.
Accompanied by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and APCC president Bhubneswar Kalita, the AICC general secretary took stock of the search operation. During his stock-taking visit, Gandhi talked conveyed his deep sympathies to the bereaved family members. He further instructed the authorities to expedite the search operation on the river Brahmaputra where over 200 people were believed to have met watery grave when an overloaded boat capsized on Monday.
Earlier, the AICC general secretary landed at the Gopinath Bordoloi International...
Bodies of three more children were fished out of the river Brahmaputra in Dhubri early in the morning on Wednesday.
BSF and NDRF jawans are still on the search operation on the river bed two days after an overloaded boat sank in Dhubri. Over 150 people are believed to have been remaining traceless.
According to police, the search operation would continue through the day and did not rule out the possibility of many bodies being washed downstream to Bangladesh.
AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi, along with Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi the mishap site on Wednesday afternoon and took stock of the situation.
Assam on Wednesday approached Bangladesh to help the state trace the bodies of Monday’s boat mishap on the river Brahmaputra in Dhubri.
According to official sources, the neighbouring country has received the message for help even as BSF and NDRF jawans resumed search operations for the third day on Wednesday.
It was widely believed that strong river currents may have washed away the bodies of over 100 victims downstream to Bangladesh.
The number of casualty is yet to be ascertained although it is estimated that about 270 died in the worst ever boat mishap.
According to information available with the district administration, there were about 350 people on board and only...
Bodies of three more children were fished out of the river Brahmaputra in Dhubri early in the morning on Wednesday.
BSF and NDRF jawans are still on the search operation on the river bed two days after an overloaded boat sank in Dhubri. Over 150 people are believed to have been remaining traceless.
According to police, the search operation would continue through the day and did not rule out the possibility of many bodies being washed downstream to Bangladesh.
AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi, along with Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi the mishap site on Wednesday afternoon and took stock of the situation.
Tezpur Central University will get the Srimanta Sankaradeva Chair. The University Grants Commission has cleared the establishment of the Chair in the varsity to familiarize students with the values of secularism and non-violence expounded by the saint-scholar.
The confirmation came from DONeR minister Paban Singh Ghatowar who called it a matter of immense pleasure.
SK Srivastava on Tuesday has taken over as the chairman cum managing director with the Oil India Limited.
The upstream petroleum professional with experience and expertise in exploration, drilling and production in oil and gas sector.
He joined OIL in 1977 and has since served in various capacities.
Before taking up his current position, Srivastava was holding the position of Director General, Directorate General of Hydrocarbon, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Government of India.
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