“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
Even after 36 hours police have no clue on the whereabouts of 16 dam workers kidnapped by suspected KPLT in Karbi Anglong district on Sunday. Search operation is going on in the hills district since suspected KPLT militants kidnapped the workers from private a hydel project at Longlit area under Manja police station.
According to police, a joint team of police Central Reserve Police Force, Cobra force and Army are carrying out search operations at all probable locations in the district to rescue the abducted dam workers. Karbi People’s Liberation Tigers has yet to claim the responsibility.
A 54 year old woman died and her husband has been injured when a gang of dacoits unleashed a reign of terror in the hearof Guwahati on Tuesday. The sensational incident took place in Machkhowa when a gang of seven armed youths forcibly stormed the house of Basir Ali in Kedar Road and tied Ali, his wife and their housemaid. Then they looted gold ornaments and other valuable properties worth several lakhs and vanished from the spot. A seriously injured wife of Aliwas rushed to the hospital following complaint of breathing difficulties whereshe was declared dead. Policemen rushed to the spot but by then the dacoits disappeared from the spot.
A police officer was arrested in Morigaon district on Sunday after his vehicle collided with another car and he fired at the crowd which gathered at the spot.According to information, Bhaktiram Kakoty, a circle inspector, was caught by the public at Moirabari town in the afternoon after his car crashed into another vehicle.Kakoty then fired into the crowd before he was overpowered by the public and handed over to the police.
Assam state BJP unit on Sunday demanded Chief minister Tarun Gogoi’s resignation alleging its failure on the crucial law and order front.Talking to reporters on Sunday in Barpeta, state committee spokesperson Sarbananda Sonowal said that Gogoi who also holds the home portfolio, has failed in ensuring law and order in the state.Participating at the state BJP executive committee's meeting in Barpeta, he said that the Gogoi government had assured that women in Assam would get adequate protection.H claimed that during 2006-2011, 11,553 women were kidnapped and 7,163 women raped in the state when Tarun Gogoi holds the home totally failed to administrate the police force properly.
The Opposition Asom Gana Parishad would launch an agitation across the state on June 12 in protest against construction of big dams, price rise and corruption. Addressing a press conference in Guwahati on Sunday, party president Prafulla Kumar Mahanta said that the agitation would cover all districts. He lashes out at Tarun Gogoi alleging that the Chief Minister was making false claim of achievements. Mahanta said that the Tarun Gogoi-led state government has given go ahead to big dams in the state without proper study by group of experts.
Only 50 days are left for the London Olympic. For the first time archer Jayanta Talukdar will be seen in action. The archer, who hails from Assam, is the only member of the Indian men's recurve team to have booked an Olympic berth. Talking to a media group in New Delhi, he said that he was confident of a medal if he maintains his current form on the big stage. Talukdar was the first Indian to win a World Cup gold medal, when he triumphed in Croatia in 2006. He repeated the feat in the same country three years later. At present, his aim is to earn a team Olympic berth, in partnership with Rahul Banerjee and Tarundeep Rai.
Cachar police is on a massive operation to nab a youth who allegedly raped minor girl Cachar district on Saturday. The incident took place at Sonai where girl was lured to his house by her neighbour, a driver by profession, when she was playing outside her home at Sonai area and allegedly raped her. The girl's father filed an FIR at Sonai Police station and a search has been launched to nab the absconding man. The girl has been sent to Silchar Medical College Hospital for medical examination.
At least 50 people had a narrow escape when an Air India plane noselanded at the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport on Sunday.
The incident took place in the morning when the Silchar-Guwahati plane with 50 people on board took off. The flight lost one of its front wheels during take off forcing the pilots to make emergency landing. None of the 52 people - 48 passengers and four crew members were injured in the emergency landing, the sources said.
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi thanked the pilots for saving the lives of the people on board. Gogoi spoke to Urmila over phone and conveyed his thanks to her and the co-pilot for showing alacrity, courage and dexterity by landing the...
Uncertainty is over. Somnath Dasgupta will take over as the vice-chancellor of Assam University in Silchar.Dasgupta is the director of the National Centre of Experimental Mineralogy and Petrology (NCEMP) under the University of Allahabad.
Dasgupta will replace Tapodhir Bhattacharjee and will be the fifth vice chancellor of the central varsity, which was established in 1994. Dasgupta has been appointed as the new vice-chancellor of Assam University. He is replacing Tapodhir Bhattacharjee.
Several organisations of Bishnupriya Manipuri community have urged Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi to dissolve the Bishnupriya Manipuri Development Council alleging large scale corruption and irregularities in the utilization of government grants-in-aid.
President of Nikhil Bishnupriya Manipuri Mahasabha Debendra Kumar Sinha, in a memorandum alleged that the Council had indulged in large scale corruption in the utilisation of government grants-in-aid of Rs 10 crore provided during 2010-11.
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