“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
At least two people were killed and 25 others were injured in a road mishap in Barpeta district on Wednesday midnight.
The incident took place at Garhchuk near Bajali when a wedding bus skidded off the National Highway. The bus on the way to Simala-Bajai Bhethua, when the driver of the vehicle lost control and fell off the highway. The deceased duo were identified as Irak Bodo and Shukra Barman, died on the spot and 25 others were injured. The injured people were rushed to the hospital.
Security forces found a powerful Improvised Explosive Device in Tinsukia district on Thursday. The IED was recovered from a shop at Kakajan near Philobari under Dumduma police station during a search operation.
Acting on a tip off, a joint team of Police and Army recovered raised the shop where the IED, weighing 5 kgs, was found. According to police, suspected militants kept the bomb at the shop for explosion.
Security forces arrested a self-styled leader of a new militant group at Gahpur in Sonitpur district on Thursday. The nabbed militant was identified as Bipul Bora and he claimed himself as the self-styled commander-in-chief of a new outfit group Sanjukta Rakta Bahini. Police claimed that the militant was involved in extortion in the district.
Former Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta is facing a tough battle against leader Padma Hazarika in the race for AGP presidentship in Guwahati on Thursday. Mahanta, the two time chief minister, arrived in the party headquarters at Ambari at around 9-30 in the morning and casted his own vote. He was followed by his nearest rival and Sootea MLA Padma Hazarika who exercise his franchise. The counting of votes would take place from 5 in the evening when the polling would conclude at 4 in the afternoon. For the firs time, the regional party holds the polls to elect its president following the failure to arrive at a consensus candidate.
National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) Assam sanctioned one mobile medical unit (MMU) exclusively for Hojai sub division under the administrative control of Jugijan BPHC. The MMU is formally flagged off by Dr. A.K Dey, minister irrigation & soil conservation, government of Assam on Sunday 22nd April 2012 after addressing a public meeting at Hojai FRU. “MMU is a new initiative of government to bring health care to the doorstep of unnerved rural people of Hojai sub division” said Mr. Dey in his speech. He further said MMU is constituted with 3 movable vehicles, equipped with all basic modern diagnostics facilities which will be a mile stone in reducing maternal...
The Electronic Media Forum Assam (EMFA) has expressed serious concern at the abuse of media space by a registered multilingual bi-weekly newspaper from Guwahati, where a last page article with the content of low-taste and some derogatory comments against a senior television reporter of News Live.
Dibya Bordoloi, who works for the Guwahati based satellite news channel has made an official complain that Raijor Sangbad (RNI registered no. ASSASS/14644) has published an assonance in its latest issue (April 18, 2012, Vol 7, issue 32), where many disparaging words were put targeting him and his profession.
After scrutinizing the content of the poetry, the EMFA gets convinced about the use of...
Four women met watery grave an overloaded boat capsized in Dhubri district on Tuesday.
According to information, the victims were brick kiln labourers. All four bodies had been fished out while seven others have been rescued. Nearly 11 people were brick kiln labourers had gone to Dheerghat in the morning hours. They did not work and decided to return to Chapar and took a boat ride to shorten the distance. The boat capsized in the middle of the river due to over-loading.
Celebrating World Earth Day 2012 with grassroots has deserve special mention. Aaranyak in association with Sankardev Sisu Niketon, Dadara celebrated World Earth Day 2012 on 22nd and 23rd April with villagers and school children in three adjoining villages Dadara, Pasaria and Singimari in style. Their decision to take out a candle light march on 22nd April evening was to mobilize mass support to save the planet on World Earth Day. However little did the locals of Dadara know, that their motive to encourage more people to work for conserving their surrounding complimented this year’s theme for Earth Day: Mobilise the Earth. “Green oath” signature campaign attracted mass...
At the 17th annual convocation ceremony of the Assam Institute of Management Isha Siotia was awarded the academic gold medal for securing the 1st position for the PGDBM course 2010-2012. She was given the honour by the Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court, Mr.A.K. Goel in the presence of Mr. N.K.Das, Chief Secretary, Government of Assam, Dr.N.N. Sarma, Director AIM, ONGC chair professor., Sri Shantikam Hazarika, Chaiman, SEBA and the AIM faculty.
Earth Day is the largest, most widely celebrated international environmental event organized with a view to spread awareness as to how the earth can be preserved and eventually saved. It is celebrated with much fanfare throughout the world. In an attempt to reach out to children, the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India celebrated Earth Day on April 22 every year to encourage the children on eco-friendly living and preserving the biodiversity.
Advancement of Peoples Group (APG) has celebrated the Earth Day in Shankardev Sishu Niketan at Rangapara along with 14 other schools in Assam. The theme of the entire event was “Every Day is Earth Day”. This initiative was...
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