“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
11 Aug 2012 - 11:03pm | editor
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Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Friday sought more tribunals to detect and deport the Bangladeshi immigrants from the state. During his meeting with Union home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde on Friday in New Delhi, Gogoi told Shinde that the state lacks adequate tribunals to detect Bangladeshi immigrants. According to him, the cases pending before the tribunals are huge in number and that more judges are required to expedite the process. Before that Chief Minister Gogoi submitted a set of guidelines for updating the national registrar of citizens before Shinde.
Union home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde on Friday said that the overall situation in the violence-hit BTAD areas and Dhubri was normal. Talking to reporters after getting update on BTAD situation from Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi in Delhi, Shinde said that refugees in large number have left the camps. He said that those still remaining would also be rehabilitated.
An uneasy situation prevails in Nalbari town on Friday after unidentified miscreants shot dead at a local businessman in broad day light. Identified as Ashis Maskara, the victim was on his way to a bank when miscreants sprayed several rounds of bullets before looting Rs 30 lakh from his bag. Maskara was rushed to the civil hospital. But he was declared brought dead. Local people in large number came out alleging it law lawlessness and insecurity. Boxed by circumstances, police arrested two persons in this connection. Identified as Chandan Kalita and Kunaldeep Sindhu, they confessed that they attacked the businessman. Police further recovered 5 lakh rupees from their possession.
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