“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
At least seven persons, including a 13 years old boy were hospitalized due to possible food poisoning at Patgaon bazaar in Kokrajhar district on Saturday. The incident took place at a market when the victims complained of headache, vomiting, body ache after eating puris at a tea stall in Patgaon bazaar. They were brought to Kokrajhar Rupnath Brahma Civil hospital.
Security forces on Saturday intercepted a Bangladeshi national in Guwahati for illegal stay since 1993. He is identified as Subrata Dasgupta who was arrested from a rented house in Islampur area in the wee hours without any valid documents. According to police, preliminary investigation showed that the accused hails from Manikgaon area in Bangladesh's Dhaka district.
The accused was living in Assam for more than 10 years and married an Indian woman from Kolkata five months back, he said.
There is no let-up in the overall flood situation on Saturday. The overall scene deteriorated following torrential rains for the past couple of days inundating low lying human habitations and cropland. Among the districts affected are Barpeta, Darrang and Dhubri. In Bajali subdivision of Barpeta, surging waters of the Kaladiya river breached dykes and embankments at many places flooding villages and fields.
The civil hospital at Pathsala has been evacuated on account of rising water levels in the town. Hundreds of families at Maripur Anandpur village of Bajali have moved to safer places after water entered their homes.
Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Rockybul Hussain said on Saturday that the state will improve the administrative system in rural areas during the current 12th Five Year Plan period. Talking to reporters in Tezpur on Saturday Hussain said that social audits in all offices involved with projects in rural areas would be undertaken twice a year, instead of once as is the practice now, for bringing in greater transparency in utilisation of funds and further the development agenda.
The minister said 42 self-help groups in Assam have been selected by the central government to be covered under the National Rural Livelihood Mission. The minister added that the government has issued bio-...
Hundreds of passengers had a narrow escape when the driver of the Dibrugarh-bound Kamrup Express found a goods train stationed on the same track and applied emergency brakes in time in Morigaon district on Friday.According to information, the driver found a foodgrain-loaded goods train near the Barahu railway station ahead on the track and applied emergency brakes. The express was delayed for more than two hours as a result and later left for Dibrugarh.
At least 30 passengers are missing after a country boat capsized in a river in Bongaigaon district on Friday. According to police, the country boat capsized in the river Champawati when it was on sailing from Chapar in Dhubri district to Oudubi with 40 people and cattle on board. Ten passengers managed to escape death while 30 others are missing in water. Rescue operation is going on.
In yet another shocking incident of man elephant conflict, a wild tusker trampled to death a beat officer in Nagaon district on Friday. The incident took place when beat office Hem Kanta Sharma was on patrol duty in a forest area under Rangaghar in Kampur. Sharma was trampled to death when he alongwith a team of guards tried to disperse two wild elephants. All of a sudden, one of the duo chased him back and killed the officer.
Opposition BJP on Friday flayed the government for keeping the Cachar- Karimganj border porous resulting in largescale infiltration of anti-social elements. Talking to reporters after visiting some border villages on Friday, BJP's All India Mahila Morcha general secretary Shipra Goon said that there is a largescale infiltration of anti-social elements from the neighbouring country. She said that that it was quite impossible for BSF to guard every inch of the border.
Train services on the Silchar-Lumding line resumed on Friday after a fortnight as heavy landslides had damaged rail tracks. The train service connecting Assam and North Eastern states of Tripura, Manipur and Mizoram resumed when a passenger train moved on the line on an experimental basis from Badarpur to Lumding. The Barak Valley Express, Cachar Express and Agartala-Lumding Express today resumed services as per schedule.Notably, train services remained suspended since June 1 after heavy landslides due to incessant rainfall damaged tracks at several places.
Chief minister Tarun Gogoi and state Congress Pradesh Committee have welcomed Pranab Mukherjee as UPA choice for presidential candidate on Friday. In a statement issued on Friday Gogoi said that Mukherjee thoroughly deserves it being one of the most respected and trusted politician down the years. APCC vice president Bishnu Prasad has hailed the selection of Mukherjee saying it will have a positive impact in the country's constitutional history.
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