“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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Hundreds of Northeast people are back to the southern cities to resume work a few days after they got the real story of rumour. Three special trains have been deployed in Guwahati for Bangalore to meet the rush. The overall situation is under control and this comes two days after three special trains left for Bangalore from Guwahati on Sunday taking back those who had fled the capital of Karnataka fearing attacks on them. The situation eased on Monday.
A seven member central team on Tuesday visited the violence-hit Dhubri and took stock of the ground situation in the entire areas. Led by joint secretary of home ministry for north east Shambhu Singh, the team of senior officials is scheduled to visit Kokrajhar on Wednesday and Chirang district on Thursday.
The officials talked to the district administration as well as the relief camp inmates. The team visited relief camps at Barkanda People's Academy, Maspara LP School, Indranarayan Academy and Bilasipara College and interacted with the people at the camp.
The Railways announced an ex-gratia of Rs 15,000 each to the family of two passengers who died in the NJP incident where the victims were thrown out of a Guwahati bound train in West Bengal. The kin of the passengers who were residents of Hailakandi district in Assam will be given an ex-gratia of Rs 15,000 each.
Four injured passengers all having confirmed tickets for journey up to Guwahati will get an ex-gratia of Rs 5,000 each. The seven other injured passengers will get an ex-gratia of Rs 500 each.
ULFA’s pro-talk faction called it an unfortunate one. In a statement, the outfit’s publicity secretary Mithinga Daimary said that Sarania played an important role in striking the peace deal with the government. Daimary further said that they would probe the allegations and that if found guilty, he would have to face the stern action.
NDRF team on Tuesday launched an operation on the river Brahmaputra in Kharghuli area to recover the bodies of Binit Jain and his servant. The operation was launched on the basis of confessional statements by Sarania and his aides who dumped the bodies on the river.
Some startling revelations seem to have surfaced when police raided a camp where top ULFA leader Hira Sarania stayed till he was arrested from Nalbari on Monday. A team of city police on Tuesday morning raided his designated camp and seizes an AK-56 rifle, 30 rounds of bullets and 12 lakh rupees in cash.
A lower court on Tuesday sent Hira Sarania to police custody for 6 days a day after he was arrested on murder and robbery charges by Guwahati police. He was remanded to police custody after he was produced before the chief judicial magistrate on Tuesday.
One more Assamese youth was found dead in Hyderabad on Monday. Identified as Sanjeev Sinha, the body was recovered near a railway station in the morning. He hailed from Lakhipur in Cachar district and was on his way to home following rumours of impending attack.
ULFA’s anti-talk faction slammed chief minister Tarun Gogoi for his claim that Assam has not even a single immigrant. In a statement sent to media on Monday, the outfit’s chairman Abhijeet Asom said that the Centre was responsible for the large scale influx from across the Indo-Bangla border. He further alleged that AIUDF president Badruddin Ajmal has been trying to create a communal divide in the state.
ULFA’s anti-talk faction has blamed immigration migration from across the Indo-Bangladesh border for the crisis that cripples the state. In a statement, the outfit blamed Centre’s apathy in protecting the Assamese working in the southern cities. Ulfa chairman Abhijeet Asom expressed concern over the worsening situation in BTAD areas and Dhubri. It further said that they won’t allow any immigrant to destroy the future of the indigenous people of Assam.
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