“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
There seems to be no end of anomalies in the HSLC and AHM examinations this year.
In yet another incident to make SEBA officials to hang their heads in shame, wanton cows destroyed hundreds of answerscripts inside a strong room in Golapara on Friday.
The incident took place at the Goalpara Govt HS School on Friday morning when examiners spotted a heard of wanton cows destroying many answer scripts inside the strong room.
According to information, the caretaker of the of centre left the strong room without properly shutting the door which is why, the cows managed to storm into the room. Investigation is going on.
Assam remains alert in view of the ULFA 'Raising Day' on Saturday.
Security forces have been deployed to thwart any attempt by ULFA in the vulnerable areas of Tinsukia, Sibsagar, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Dhubri, Goalpara and Nalbari districts.
According to inputs available Commander in Chief Paresh Baruah has dispatched his wife Rinku Bhuyan and hardcore ULFA cadre Rajiv Das to carry out strike in Lakhimpur district.
Security forces have arrested a hardcore ULFA cadre from Kokrajhar district on Friday. Acting on a tip off, security men caught him from Fakiragram market area in the wee hours.
The ULFA cadre has been identified as Biju Roy and they also recovered one 9mm pistol, three rounds of ammunition and one mobile from his possession.
Police seized a hand made gun and 14 rounds of live ammunition from a residence in the Gohpur area of Sonitpur district on Friday.
The gun and live ammunition belong to the owner of the house, identified as one Lakhya Pegu, police said adding that Pegu was absconding.
In yet another development Aditya Baruah has safely arrived in his home ending a high voltage drama. He was missing since NIA raided his rented room in New Delhi in search of ULFA leader Aronodoi Dohotia.
Eight labourers are still remaining traceless even 24 hours after they were kidnapped from a construction site by KPLT militants in Karbi Anglong district.
Security forces are launching combing operation to trace out the workers. But there is no report of any breakthrough.
A group of about four heavily armed militants stormed into a hospital building at Rongbong Ghat on Thursday night and took away eight of them at gunpoint.
Heartcare at affordable cost! courtesy Ayursundra. The Guwahati-based healthcare provider group is set to spread the concept of specialised heart care units in hospitals across the state.
This will provide the latest treatment at affordable price. The model is based on the concept of 'Hospital Within a Hospital' and consists of having a Cath Lab, an ICU, monitoring system and other associated machines for dealing with emergencies as well as comprehesive treatment of heart ailments.
One person died on the spot and 31 others were injured, six of them seriously, in a road mishap in Barpeta district on Friday.
The driver of a passenger bus travelling from Barpeta to Barpeta Road lost control and overturned on the National Highway 31. While a passenger, Kamal Barma, died on the spot, 31 others were injured. Six of the seriously injured passengers were shifted to the Guwahati Medical College Hospital here.
Veteran CPI leader Pramod Gogoi is dead. He passed away at a private hospital in Guwahati where he was admitted two days back. The end came at around 10-30 in the morning.
Gogoi was born and brought up in Sivasagar. A bachelor Gogoi was elected to state legislative assembly from Sivasagar constituency for several time. More, he was flood control minister in the AGP led coalition government under the chief ministership of Prafulla Kumar Mahanta.
Political leaders across the state have condoled his untimely demise and conveyed their deep sympathies to his bereaved family members.
Three suspected GNLA militants were killed at an encounter with security forces in Golapara on Thursday.
The encounter took place in the wee hours at Mendipothar bordering Meghalaya where the armed GNLA cadres were moving despite alertness of security forces in the area. The cadres were yet to be identified. The Garo insurgent cadres have been unleashing terror in Mendipothar in the form of extortion, killing and kidnapping forcing the security forces to launch the operation.
The Centre sounds alert in Assam and its neighbouring states in view of ULFA Raising Day slated for April 8.
Dispur received the Home Ministry advisory on Wednesday with directives to tighten security across the region.
The Home Ministry asked the Assam government and the neighbouring states to be on alert in the run-up to the ULFA raising day on April 7 when the group usually tries to launch terror attacks.
The Centre advised the states to deploy adequate security personnel at sensitive locations, oil installations, railway tracks and stations, bus terminus, markets and religious places to foil any attempt by the insurgents to disturb peace.
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