“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
25 Sep 2015 - 3:56pm | AT News
Assam Congress president Anjan Dutta strongly criticized PB Acharya alleging that the governor has been behaving like a BJP leader.Speaking at a function at the state party headquarter in Guwahati on...
7 Feb 2014 - 6:21pm | AT News
Cancellation of five crucial votes stymied the poll prospect of Opposition candidate Haidor Hussain. These mistakes, mostly, are allegedly intentional.BJP legislator Prasanta Phukan’s vote stood...
17 Apr 2015 - 8:37am | AT News
A policeman lost his life when the vehicle carrying him alonp with his colleagues collided its head on a truck in Sonitpur district on Friday. Local police told Assam Times that the road accident...
13 Jan 2015 - 7:30pm | AT News
BTC Chief Hagrama Mohilary and his associates got the real taste of simmering anger of the displaced people when they visited a relief camp in Kokrajhar on Tuesday. As soon as Mohilary and MLA...
Various aspects of impacts of climate change on the water resources of the NE region as well as results from contemporary research relevant to the region and especially the Upper Brahmaputra basin area were in focus in a one day workshop on ‘Adapting to Climate Change Impacts on Water in the Upper Brahmaputra basin in Northeast India’ that was held at the Shankardev Sabha Kakhya of the Dibrugarh Hanumanbux Surajmal Kanoi (DHSK) College on November 17th, 2012.The workshop was organised by Aaranyak (Guwahati), premier environmental research and advocacy organisation of India in collaboration with the DHSK College (Dibrugarh) with financial support from the India Water...
Here is good news for the food lovers of the region. The Morung, a restaurant which has been serving ethnic food of northeast, is organizing a series of food festivals in order to promote the local food items in a bigger way from November 23. The first phase of the festival will serve only the Naga dishes till November 25. Proprietor Rudra Deka said that the visitors will be able to enjoy unlimited supply of various food items at a minimum cost of Rs.299 per person.
Popular singer Priyanka Bharali and celebrity cook Enu Baruah of Paakghar fame have formally will inaugurate of the festival on Friday.
The Buffet menu is:
1. Chutney 2. Salad 3. Plain Rice 4. Naga Curry 5. Boil Veg 6....
The sixth annual national seminar was organized by Sanskriti-North Eastern institute of Culture and Religion, Guwahati from 16th to 18th November, 2012. Sanskriti is an anthropological research centre engaged in data based research on the people and cultures of north east India. It is administered by SVD society which has a number of social science research institutions world-wide. This year the theme selected by the organizing committee was Indigenous Resource Management in Tribal Cultures of North East India.The inaugural session was presided over by well known anthropologist Prof. A. C. Bhagabati, former vice chancellor of Arunachal University and present Director, Indira Gandhi National...
Despite strict vigil, ULFA militants are moving with arms without any hindrance in Sivasagar district. Sonari police recovered a huge cache of explosives during a joint operation with army in Bahbari area on Saturday. But the ULFA men managed to vanish from the spot. Acting on a tip off that three hardcore ULFA militants were hiding in a tiny village in Bashbar, police and army’s 299 Field regiment launched a joint offensive at Raidongia village in Rajapukhuri area. But the militants fled from the spot. Security forces recovered a mobile bomb, TNT weighing three kilogram, 2 detonators along with some other materials.
Diplomats from Association of South East Asian Nations countries are all set to visit Guwahati on November 15 to hold talks with Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. The ASEAN diplomats would be in Guwahati just before the ASEAN-India Car Rally in the city. Officials from the ASEAN countries are likely to talk about increasing trade and cooperation between the ASEAN region and north east.
Thailand's ambassador to India Pisan Manawapat, Brunei's ambassador Dato Paduka Sidek Bin Ali, Indonedia's Charge d'Affaires Hendra Henny Andries and ambassador of Laos Thongphanh Syackhaphom would be among those who are expected to join the delegation. The rally would reach Guwahati on December 17 and...
Much to utter disappointment to the Assamese community in Delhi, a Delhi university student committed suicide on Saturday. The incident took place at Bijoynagar area where Sri Ram College student Abhishekh Saikia committed suicide by jumping down from a building in the capital. His neighbor said that he was found depressed with his affair with a girl. Saikia hails from Guwahati.
Five security personnel guarding Water Resources Minister Rajib Lochan Pegu have been injured when their vehicle collided with a dumper truck at Golaghat on Saturday. The incident took place on the National Highway 37 near Dergaon when Pegu’s convoy was on its way from Jorhat to Guwahati. The driver is understood to have lost control over the pilot car before it rammed into the dumper truck. Three of whom are stated to be in serious condition. All the injured have been admitted to the Jorhat Medical College. Two others have been released after primary treatment.
After a brief halt, violence revisits Bodoland. Two persons were killed in two different shoot outs in the BTAD areas on Saturday. The first one incident took place in Gossaigaon when one minority youth died in miscreant firing at the paddy field. The another incident took place in Kokrajhar where another youth lost his life. This has sparked off tension and administration has sounded alert in the area.After a brief halt, violence revisits Bodoland. Two persons were killed in two different shoot outs in the BTAD areas on Saturday.
The first one incident took place in Gossaigaon when one minority youth died in miscreant firing at the paddy field. The another incident took place in...
Dispur is contemplating an education and employment generation panel to link up the two so that the youth could get jobs with their education. According to chief minister Tarun Gogoi, said economic development of the state, education, employment generation and farmers were its top priorities. He further said that his government is mooting to launch a state nutrition mission to tackle the problems of anaemia and malnutrition, found among the women and children of Assam.
Comments
Pages
Add new comment