“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
After a brief halt, Dima Hasao erupts in an uneasy situation. A businessman died at an incident of miscreant attack on Tuesday. The incident took place at 8-30 in the evening when unidentified miscreants sprayed several rounds of bullets at a businessman at Convent Road in Haflong town. Identified as Panchadhar Chaudhury, the business man was on his way back to his residence from his firm. A seriously injured Chaudhury was taken to the hospital where he was declared brought dead. The miscreants vanished from the spot amid darkness. Policemen rushed to the spot. Investigation is going on.
Guwahati police on Tuesday arrested a person charging him with trying to outraging the modesty of a girl in the city on Monday. The arrested youth works with Amtron in Guwahati. The incident took place at GS Road in Guwahati where a group of miscreants stripped off a teen aged girl on Monday night in full view of the local residents.
Good news for Assam. Courtesy Asian Development Bank. It has extended loans worth Rs 1,462 cr to the Assam government to improve road infrastructure in the state. In three separate loan agreements signed between ADB and the government, Rs 374 crore to improve road connectivity in the north-eastern region. The loan to improve road connectivity in north-eastern region will be used to improve and upgrade 434 kilometres of road in Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim and Tripura. The project is expected to be completed by 2016.
A huge fund meant for uplift of the minority people went to the Centre because of some bunglings in Dispur.The allegation came from the Rajiv Bhawan where the party’s minority cell said that the central fund to the tune of Rs 137 crore remained idle during 2011-2012. The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee blames it all on a circle of bureaucrats. Addressing a press conference in Guwahati on Tuesday, APCC minority cell chairman said that they would from now on keep a watch on central and state government schemes for welfare of minorities and check utlisation of funds allocated for such purposes.
Caught in a string of anomalies and irregularities, the Assam Human Rights Commission has directed Dispur to form a high-level committee to investigate the allegations during the past five years. According to information, the decision was taken after the commission went through the media reports during recent weeks on 'massive embezzlement' of money in flood control and relief operations. It has directed the chief secretary NK Das to form a three-member panel to probe the allegations.
Local residents caught seven NDFB militants of the Ranjan Daimary faction and handed them over to the police at Udalguri district of Assam on Tuesday. According to police, seven, among whom five were NDFB(R) cadres and two linkwomen associated with the outfit, were caught by locals at Natun Basti area in the morning.
The seven had been involved in many incidents of extortion in the area. A huge cache of arms including one US made pistol, 15 rounds of catridges, six hand grenades and two denonators, besides some incriminating documents, were recovered from them. The five NDFB(R) cadres have been identified as Pranjal Basumatary, Bhagya Bodo, Sansuma Basumatary, Saila Basumatary and Nersun...
A seven member Central team is on a three days stock taking visit to the flood-hit areas. Divided into three groups, the committee will tour lower and upper Assam district apart from the Barak valley. The team is expected to prepare a report on the extent of damage by flood and erosion. They are also likely to meet state Chief Secretary Naba Kumar Das on Thursday and hold discussions on flood situations along with rescue and relief measures.
The flash flood has rendered around 250 families homeless in Cachar district. The worst-hit areas include Madhura in Udharbond. The river Madhura, which originates from the hills of the neighbouring Dima Hasao district, completely ravaged the village with 22 families losing their homes and belongings. Assam Sports and Excise Minister Ajit Singh has directed the authorities to provide relief to the affected villagers.
The flood wave that ravages 27 districts have left Kaziranga National Park worst-hit. The toll of animals in the UNESCO World Heritage has mounted to 595. These include 17 rhinos, 512 hog deers, 28 wild boar, 15 sambars, 10 swamp deers, five porcupines, elephants, hogbadgers and python and one each of buffalo and jackal respectively.
The overall flood situation remains grim on Monday. Vast tracts of land in both Brahmaputra and Barak valleys are still submerged. The death toll continues to mount till 125. According to information, an estimated 24 lakh people have been affected in the worst-ever flood in recent years causing large-scale devastation in 4,540 villages with more than 9.35 lakh hectares of land completely inundated. The water levels of the major rivers are refusing to recede even after the halt in the incessant rains. The agriculture sector has been severely affected by the current wave of flood with 2.55 lakh hectares of cropland under water.
Comments
Pages
Add new comment