“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
Security forces killed a hard-core ULFA member at an encounter in Goalpara district on Sunday.The encounter took place in the wee hours at Balbola under Dhupdhara police station in the district. An AK-56 rifle, over 100 live bullets, magazines and a hand grenade were recovered from his possession.
Acting on some intelligence inputs a joint team of police and Army carried out the operation and the encounter took place. The ULFA cadre died on the spot while three to four others managed to escape.
The Bodo Sahitya Sabha will stage a 2-hour dharna Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on April 12 alleging non fulfillment of their demands related to Bodo-medium schools.
The Bodo literary body will also burn copies of "The Assam Venture Educational Institutions (Provincialization of Services) Act, 2011" and "Assam Non-government Educational Institution (Management...
ULFA’s pro talk leaders are all set to hold the second round for formal talks with the Centre on Monday. A set of crucial issues are expected to come up during the meeting with the home ministry in Delhi.
A high-level pro-talk ULFA delegation, led by chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa, left for New Delhi on Sunday to hold the second round of talks with the Centre to resolve the long-standing issues.
The delegation is scheduled to meet Union Home Secretary R K Singh on Monday to review the progress of the talks and to ensure that the process was expedited.
The leaders will also urge the Centre to ensure that the security and basic needs of cadres living in designated camps were looked...
Popular Assamese singer cum composer Charu Gohain is dead. He was 61 who breathed his last at around 10-45 on Saturday morning at the Guwahati Medical College Hospital where he was undergoing treatment from February 22.
His condition deteriorated on Friday night and was shifted to the ICU. But he died on Saturday morning.
A pall of gloom has descends into the entire state. His mortal remains consigned to flames at Nabagraha cremation ground in presence of hundreds of his well wishers. Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi along with many parties, organizations and individuals condoled his death.
ULFA on Saturday claimed to have blown up a vital unit of the Numaligarh Refinery Limited in Golaghat district on its Raising Day. But the refinery authorities refuse to read it.
Officials said there was an explosion at the hydrogen cracker plant area of the refinery at about 6:35 pm when the fire broke out. They said that the cause of the blaze was yet to be ascertained. Fire tenders posted at the refinery have rushed to the spot to douse the flames. The extent of damage has yet to be ascertained. On the other hand, ULFA in a statement has owned up the responsibility.
Security forces on Saturday arrested four persons and recovered a crude bomb on the ULFA raising day.
Police arrested the four persons from Nalbari district charging them with harbouring ULFA militants and recovered one live round of .9 mm pistol from their possession.
They were identified as Deepak Patowari, Hitesh Deka, Pabitra Deka and Achyut Mazumdar. Police claimed to have possessed incriminating documents from them.
On the other hand, SSB jawans recovered a crude bomb from a remote location in Baksa district on Saturday.
Assam assembly on Saturday observed its platinum jubilee in Guwahati where Veteran political leaders turned nostalgic.
Speakers after speakers remembered the golden days of the House when it held its first session in 1937 in Shillong.
Former MLA Premadhar Bora, Speaker Pranab Gogoi, former chief minister PK Mahanta were prominent among those who attended the low profile function. The grand function is scheduled for April 20 to be attended by prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh who represents the state in the Rajya Sabha.
Amid a simmering controversy over anomalies in HSLC examinations a SEBA official attacked journalist when they visited the headquarters on Saturday.
The official in question was administrative officer Kaushik Chandra Deka who attacked the video journalist of a private satellite news channel and tried to snatch the camera. Other journalists lodged a written complaint against Deka before chairman Shantikam Hazarika who promised to take action against him.
The Board of Secondary Education, Assam has ordered an enquiry into the Goalpara incident where wanton cows destroyed hundreds of HSLC answerscripts on Friday.
SEBA chairman Shantikam Hazarika told reporters on Saturday that the Board had already initiated an inquiry into the incident. He said that the answer scripts had been evaluated already and so it was not going to affect the future of the students.
Tension prevails in Gossaigaon following a shoot out leaving a local businessman injured.
The incident took place at around 7-30 in the evening at Charaibeel when he was trying to escape from a group of youths who tried to kidnap him at gunpoint.
Later he was rushed to the hospital. Security forces have launched an operation to nab the culprits.
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