“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
Normal life in parts of the state has been thrown out of gear under the impact of the day-long bandh called by a minority organization to protest the BTAD violence. Shops, schools, business establishment and financial institutions remained closed. Skeleton transport services are in on the national highway. The bandh has been called by new outfit Muslim Yuva Parishad on Thursday morning which ends in the evening.
A CBI team grills Pradeep Kumar Brahma a d after the West Kokrajhar MLA was arrested from his residence in Dotoma in connection with the BTAD violence where 80 people lost their lives in Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baska and Dhubri districts during the last couple of weeks. Police have registered altogether seven cases against the BPF MLAs. Pradeep Brahma, alias Gara, who represents Kokrajhar (West) constituency, was arrested from his house at Dotoma near Kokrajhar town at about 1 AM as seven cases had already been registered against him in several police stations. Notably, a team of police led by Kokrajhar superintendent of police picked up Brahma and took him to the Circuit House where...
Peeved at Pradeep Kumar Brahma’s arrest in connection with BTAD violence, BPF on Thursdy threatened to withdraw support from the Tarun Gogoi government. BPF leaders have alleged that Brahma is a victim of political conspiracy and that his arrest was unwanted. They said that AIUDF president Badaruddin Ajmal is the main culprit of the entire gory episode. According to them, police could not produce any letter of consent from the Assam Assembly Speaker when Pradeep Kumar Brahma was arrested.
Pradeep Brahma would be produced before a lower court in Kokrajhar on Thursday a day after the BPF MLA was arrested in connection with the BTAD violence. A team of police picked up the West Kokrajhar MLA from his residence in Dotoma and was straightly taken to the Kokrajhar Circuit House where the interrogation is going. Meanwhile, Brahma’s arrest triggers a massive protest in Kokrajhar when the party workers came out early in the morning to block the National Highway.
The arrest of BPF MLA Pradeep Kumar Brahma triggers a massive protest in Kokrajhar when the party workers came out early in the morning to block the National Highway. Some others have blocked the trains in the district.
Immediately after police arrested the West Kokrajhar MLA from his Dotoma-based residents, BPF workers led by a few leaders took to the streets alleging that Brahma was arrested bereft of any reason. Notably, police have arrested BPF MLA Pradeep Kumar Brahma from Kokrajhar on Wednesday night. Brahma, the BPF MLA from West Kokrajhar was picked up by a team of police from his own residence in Dotoma.
Two more persons were killed and another injured in a fresh incident of violence in Dhubri on Wednesday.The incident took place when unidentified miscreants shot dead two laborers working in a brick kiln at Bangaldoba in Dhubri district.
Amid simmering violence police have arrested BPF MLA Pradeep Kumar Brahma from Kokrajhar on Wednesday night. Brahma, the BPF MLA from West Kokrajhar was picked up by a team of police from his own residence in Dotoma. He is likely to be produced in court Thursday. But the BPF workers are launching a massive protest against it in the form of National Highway 31 blockade.
Once again Merapani falls in the deep grip of tension when unidentified miscreants burnt down a house on Tuesday. The incident took place at Garhbasti along the Assam-Nagaland border where owner of the house Rabi Gogoi managed to escape. On the other hand, thousands of vehicles have been remaining standred on the national highway leading to Nagaland due to indefinite economic bandh against the state.
Police steps up efforts to stop exodus of Assamese people from Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai and Tamil Nadu. Talking to Assam Times, top police officials said that it would be ensured that those who returned to the north east in panic from other parts of the country go back.
Karnataka deputy Chief Minister R Ashoka is set to visit north eastern states very soon to invite the people who left the state at the height of mass exodus. Ashoka said that there was no violence in the state and that the North-East people who fled the city for their home-towns following rumours of attacks should return. He said that the tight security cover deployed in the city, including deployment of Rapid Action Force, would continue for another week. He said that the leaders of Nagaland and Manipur have already invited me. If Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi invites him, he would be visiting that state very soon.
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