“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
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One person was killed and two others were injured on Saturday in an accident in Rangia on Saturday.According to police, the incident took place in Rangia in Kamrup (Rural) district when Rajat Ali died on the spot after his motorcycle rammed into an electric post after hitting a pedestrian Mustafijur Rahman at Karara on Indo-Bhutan international road. Rajat Ali and his father Jalaluddin Ahmed were travelling on the motorcycle. Jalaluddinand Mistafijur were injured and were admitted to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital.
The overall flood situation improves further on Saturday. The water level of the Brahmaputra river and its tributaries are receding gradually 100 hours after cessation of the rains. A section of the trapped people are preparing to leave the make shift camps. According to information, over 35 lakh people in 19 districts have been reeling under the floodwaves where the toll stands at 19.Over 3000 villages have been hit in latest wave of flood. The affected districts Barpeta, Darrang, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Goalpara, Jorhat, Kamrup rural and metro, Lakhimpur, Morigaon, Nagaon, Nalbari, Sibsagar, Sonitpur, Tinsukia, Dhubri, Baksa and Udalguri.
Sivasagar police have achieved a major breakthrough in the recent of powerful blast that left a businessman killed and ten others injured. Police have arrested six youths in this connection and the initial confessional statements have suggested it a handiwork of ULFA. All the six have been arrested during a special operation led by additional SP in Sivasagar and Dibrugarh districts. They have been identified as Naba Gogoi, Narayan Gogoi, Papu Chetia, Nabajyoti Baruah and Upen Dihingia. According to inputs available with police, ULFA leader Bhaskar Nath alias Amlan Baruah planted the bomb near the Laxmi Talkies on Monday which exploded at 9 in the evening leaving Nirud Das dead.
A three-member central team has arrived in Kaziranga on Saturday to probe into the sudden rise in rhino poaching in the national park. Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said that that the CBI inquiry recommended by his government into rhino killings would be able to curb these incidents.
One more rhinoceros was found dead at the Kaziranga National Park on Saturday. The carcass of the mature female rhino was found floating in the flood waters at Gorakati under Bagori Range of the park on Saturday. But the its horn was found intact. The horn from the body of the rhino was handed over to the forest department.
CPM polit bureau member Brinda Karat came down heavily on Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi for coming out in support of FDI in multi-brand retail.Talking to reporters on Friday in Guwahati, Karat said that the Assam government can’t help the farmers when they are affected by flood. “But how FDI in retail would help the farmers. What can be more bankrupt than such an understanding?", she said.
CPM on Friday on Friday said that Assam flood is a fit case of national disaster.Talking to reporters in Guwahati on Friday CPI(M) Politburo member Brinda Karat said that at a time when lakhs of people are reeling under flood, displaced people are living without food, without clothes, the cente should declare it as national disaster.She alleged that the Centre and state have not done enough to mitigate the misery of the people in third wave of floods to hit the state. He has asked her party cadres to mobilise resources for helping the flood affected people.
The repeated incidents of rhino poaching seem to have triggered an acrimonious blamegame between ruling Congress and opposition parties.
A stunned forest minister Rockybul Hussain lashed out at AGP and BJP for blaming it all on him. Hussain has already alleged a smear campaign against him. AGP also blamed it all on the government’s failure. But Chief minister Tarun Gogoi flayed AGP and BJP alleging that more rhinos were killed in Kaziranga during the AGP and NDA regimes.
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Army would counter rhino poachers in Kaziranga. Dispur has asked police to work jointly with army and para paramilitary forces to stop the repeated incidents of rhino poaching.
An anti-poaching squad would be set up in a day or two with focus on the 860 sq km Kaziranga National Park.
The move comes following the shooting of four rhinos within 48 hours. Two rhinos were hacked off. Forces would be allowed to take appropriate action against anyone involved in poaching.
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