“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
Poaching refuses to die down in Kaziranga. Another one-horned rhino was shot dead in the famed Kaziranga National Park on. The carcass was spotted on Tuesday morning at Burhapahar. But the poachers failed to take away the horn.
Talking to assamtimes, officials said that there were reports of firing from the Burhapahar range where forces launched an operation against the poachers. Cartridges of the AK series of rifles and 303 ammunition was recovered from the site. Meanwhile, joint operations are going on to nab the poachers.
Dudhnoi Raas Puja Committee has complete preparations to celebrate Raas festival with fifteen-day programme.People from various districts are taking part in the festival.
Bidyut Sarkar
To accelerate efforts and fight against the deadly disease HIV/AIDS, the World Aids Day was observed at Pasighat General Hospital.
To mark the event, the doctors along with staffs, health assistants, NGOs and ANM trainees took out a rally and moved around the township with slogans and banners ‘Stop AIDS, keep the promise’. It was formally flagged-off by the DC In-charge Nidhi Srivastava amid huge gathering inside the hospital campus.
The celebration is symbolically a call to enhance social protection mechanism and a symbol of solidarity and support towards the people living with HIV, stated Srivastava during the observation. She while advising the participants to renew the...
In ancient times the Hindu Society begging for mendicants and their students . The students were allowed to beg for their teacher. But they were never called beggars. They were received with highest respect and it remained tradition from age’s ago. The common house people felt lucky to receive them . But later these mendicants got greedy and degenerated and wanted to make out of begging.Now in India begging is a fashion , a compulsion, a privilege and a recreation. The number of beggars is very much larger in our country than other countries. Our heads hang down in shame when we read description of our country India given by the foreigners in a hateful manner. To westerners, India is...
A day long MATRI SAMMELAN (Mothers Meet) was held recently on 25th November 2012 at Donyi Polo Vidya Niketan School campus, Pasighat, under the aegis of Arunachal Shiksha Vikas Samiti (ASVS) the state chapter of Vidya Bharati Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Sansthan, New Delhi. The day long Sammelan was proposed for the awakening of women in every sectors of life. Around 350 delegates (mothers) from in and around the town attended the unique programme which infact is a routine function that is observed every year by the organization (ASVS).
Hosts of dignitaries, which included among others, were Ms. Nidhi Srivastava (IAS), Additional Deputy Commissioner East Siang, Dr.Yater darang, Eye Specialist...
Journalists’ Forum Assam and AIDS Prevention Society have organized a media orientation program on HIV/AIDS on November 30 at Guwahati Press Club. The program, where Dr SI Ahmed is expected to join as a resource person, will begin at 11 AM.Dr Ahmed will give an overview of the HIV infection ratio around the globe and also highlight the risk factors for the residents of Assam and northeast India. Though the annual infection to the deadly virus is decreasing because of massive publicity and public awareness program by the authority, related NGOs and the media, there is definitely risk factor, asserted the HIV/AIDS expert.Member-journalists are requested to participate in the...
Assam Human Rights Commission on Tuesday urged introduction of human rights in the syllabus of primary and secondary school and at the college level. Delivering the Second Surendra Nath Sarma memorial lecture Assam HRC Chairman Justice (Retd) Aftab Hussain Saikia said that there could be no protection of human rights if people were not adequately educated in this regard.
Bodo people on Tuesday staged demonstration in Delhi demanding a judicial probe into the recent riot in BTAD areas alleging that immigrants from the neighbouring Bangladesh have been mongering trouble in these districts.
The demand was made at a huge rally near the Parliament House by hundreds of people who staged protest under the banner of the Coordination Committee of Indigenous Tribal National Organisations.
They sought a permanent solution of the problem and made a plea for grant of statehood to Bodoland through peaceful political dialogue and granting of autonomy to all indigenous tribals of Assam under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
Dudhnoi Expo has started at Dudhnoi from November 20. Apart from local and Indian exhibitors, participants from various foreign countries are also taking part in the event.
Bidyut Sarkar, Dudhnoi
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