“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
A Farmers training programme on crop production was organised by TERI under Mini Mission-I under Technology Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture in NE States...
Assam greeted Shiva Thapa on his return to home in Guwahati on Sunday. The boxing sensation received heroic welcome as he landed at the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport at 9 on Sunday morning.
Hundreds of people rushed to the airport premises early in the morning. He was greeted with Gamocha by his fans who struck gold in Asthana a few days back. A jubilant Shiva Thapa hoped that he would be able to strike gold at the London Olympic.
The carcass of a leopard died of food poisoning in Golaghat on Sunday. Local residents in Karunating Tea Estate found the leopard in a bad condition on Saturday evening and handed over it to the forest authorities.
The animal, however, died before the arrival of a team of medical personnel and forest officials. A postmortem of the carcass conducted this morning established poisoning to be the cause of death. There were no signs of any external injuries.
Additional Director with Intelligence Bureau R N Behura, who had suffered serious injuries in a road accident on April 9, died in Guwahati on Sunday morning.
Behura breathed his last at the Guwahati Neurological Research Centre where he was undergoing treatment for past six days.
He is survived by wife and a son. A 1979 batch IPS officer of the Manipur-Tripura cadre who hailed from Orissa, he had met with an accident at Sonapur near Guwahati.
The accident took place when he was on his way back to Guwahati from Numaligarh Refinery when his car collided with a truck. He had been admitted to GNRC in critical condition.
Assam Police Additional DGP Pallab Bhattacharya, who was in the...
Pomp and gaiety continue to reign Assam on the third day of the Rongali Bihu on Sunday. Revelers observed Gossai Bihu on Sunday as part of the Rongali Bihu to welcome the advent of spring.
Temples and Namghars were teeming with people who performed nam kirtans seeking the blessings of the God. This is apart from varieties of delicacies such as chira, julia gur, laroos, pithas served to the people young and old alike. People thronged the Bihu pendals to enjoy the colourful functions.
Paresh Baishya a noted writer,educationist and well known social activist has been awarded by the reputed social organization Dr.Gunaram Khanikar Foundation at a function held at Chandrakanta Sandikoi Bhavan,Jorhat, synchronizing the 64th Birth anniversary of celebrated herbal physician Dr. Gunaram Khanikor.Among other Dr.SubanChandra Nath,Scientist,Regional Research Library,Jorhat, Dr.Gunaram Khanikor & Nagen Bora,President Jorhat Shahitya Sabha were present in the function.
Despite heavy downpour and storm, the historic Rong Ghar premises break into a sea of humanity when thousands of people thronged to celebrate Rongali Bihu from Saturday.
Dressed in traditional attire, people of all the communities showcased their rich culture by holding varieties of programs to celebrate the much-vaunted with festival with pomp and gaiety.
Sarba Siksha Abhijan (SSA) Nagaon in collaboration with UNICEF Assam organized One Day Non Residential Training Programme for Training of Trainers (ToT) on School Sanitation and Hygiene Education (SSHE) at Tourist Loodge on 12th April 2012. The training was inaugurated by Additional Deputy Commissioner, Nagaon Sri Abitab Rajkhowa, ACS and said District Resource Group (DRG) members consists of DIET -10 nos(Faculties including the Block In-charges), BTC – 5 nos (Faculties), Normal School –5 nos(Faculties),SSA – 10 nos. (District & Block Offices), Expert Teachers – 5 nos will be trained today by our Resource Persons. Sri. K.K Baruah, AES, District Elementary...
Flood is a common phenomenon in the state of Assam which hit the large majority of its riverine community every year. The rapid climate change, dynamic monsoon rainfall, unique environmental settings in its region and also other man made factors i.e. unprotected embankment, release of surplus water of river dam in upstream and also deforestation are also considered as the major agents of it.
With reference to this problem, based on the thematic area i.e. Disaster risk Reduction (DRR), a joint initiative has been undertaken by North-East Affected Area Development Society (NEADS) and Oxfam India to lessen the risk of emergency flash flood in Brahmaputra River Basin, the districts of...
Rongali Bihu begins in Assam with drumbeats to take the people into yet another realm of joy. The bihu began on Friday with cow worship. Saturday is Bor Bihu. It heralds the Assamese new year amidst traditional pomp and gaiety.
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi also participated in several Bihu functions in Guwahati on Friday where he hoped that it would foster goodwill and strengthen the base of society. All programmes this year are scheduled to begin with songs of cultural icon Bhupen Hazarika, who died in November. Inaugurating the Guwahati Bihu Sanmilani at Latasil broke into a Bihu dance himself and played the drum along with his son Gaurav.
Comments
Pages
Add new comment