[INDOLOGY] Johannes Bronkhorst gone

[Nataliya Yanchevskaya]

Dear Vincent,
Thank you so much for writing about Johannes. He truly was an exceptional
person and a great scholar.
If you wouldn't mind sharing his last interview, I believe many of us would
appreciate the opportunity to hear his thoughts and remember his voice once
again.
It would mean a great deal to those of us who valued his insights and
friendship.
Nataliya


On Wed, May 14, 2025 at 7:22 PM Eltschinger, Vincent via INDOLOGY <
indology at list.indology.info> wrote:

> Johannes taught me Sanskrit and Indology; taught me never to take anything
> for granted, academic and religious traditions, which have so much in
> common, even less than the rest. A great master is leaving us, the author
> of an abundant, but also innovative and provocative body of work, which
> covered all areas of Indian studies, from Vyākaraṇa, his initial training,
> to Vedic and Buddhist studies, from Vaiśeṣika to Vedānta via Mīmāṃsā,
> Sāṅkhya, Jainism and Ājīvikism. His greatness lay in his erudition, and,
> almost as much, in his humility; I also remember a teacher always listening
> to his students, curious about their ideas, and laughing heartily with
> them. Johannes was also a man of convictions. The freedom to choose the
> time and circumstances of his death has always been one of these.
>
> About a month ago, on the occasion of a meeting between colleagues and
> friends in Lausanne, Johannes took me aside and asked me to drive him home.
> On the way, he told me that he and his beloved Joy would soon be “leaving”
> to escape illness and debilitating age. We spent a beautiful and moving
> evening, a “last supper” so to speak. While my eyes were heavy, Johannes
> and Joy were perfectly serene, joking as if nothing were happening. We
> celebrated a cloudless friendship, without sadness, as if it were to last
> eternally. They still didn’t know the exact date of their “departure,” but
> it was imminent. And then, as if it were impossible for that meal to be
> our last, I asked him if he would lend himself to a last interview. A few
> days later, equipped with a camera, I asked Johannes about his life, his
> training, his career path, for almost two hours of a unique and privileged
> moment. I left with big eyes. It was imminent. It was today.
>
> My sadness reflects my selfishness. Johannes and Joy entered death the
> same way they met and loved each other, and that alone is what counts, the
> very thing that makes me happy in spite of everything.
>
> Johannes did not consider his life to be of any interest other than his
> work. He leaves us with it, and it has, he has everything to teach us.
>
> Today he had Joy Manné’s son send a last message to his friends. I allow
> myself to quote its last paragraph: “Our sympathies are with those who are
> obliged to live through the sometimes long and often painful process of old
> age and dying.”
>
> Vincent Eltschinger
>
>
> Vincent Eltschinger, korrespondierendes Mitglied der OeAW
> Directeur d'études
> École Pratique des Hautes Études, Section des sciences religieuses
> Patios Saint-Jacques, 4-14 rue Ferrus - 75014 Paris
> vincent.eltschinger at ephe.sorbonne.fr
> 0033 1 56 61 17 34 / 0033 7 85 86 84 05
> ------------------------------
> *Von:* INDOLOGY <indology-bounces at list.indology.info> im Auftrag von Greg
> Bailey via INDOLOGY <indology at list.indology.info>
> *Gesendet:* Donnerstag, 15. Mai 2025 00:11:19
> *An:* indology at list.indology.info; Harry Falk
> *Betreff:* [EXT] Re: [INDOLOGY] Johannes Bronkhorst gone
>
> *External Email*: please use links and attachments from trusted sources
> only
> Dear List,
>
> Very sad news. Johannes was a wonderful colleague with some highly
> original contributions.
>
> Sadly,
>
> Greg Bailey
> ------------------------------
> *From:* INDOLOGY <indology-bounces at list.indology.info> on behalf of Harry
> Falk via INDOLOGY <indology at list.indology.info>
> *Sent:* Thursday, May 15, 2025 4:47 AM
> *To:* indology at list.indology.info <indology at list.indology.info>
> *Subject:* [INDOLOGY] Johannes Bronkhorst gone
>
> Dear friends and colleagues,
> I have just received the news that Johannes Bronkhorst left this world
> today at noon in a controlled manner, as was his custom, together with his
> beloved wife Joy Manné.
> He sent the last batch of his papers just a few days ago. He will be
> remembered as an innovative and inspired scientist, a cheerful person and
> a true and dear friend.
> Sadly.
> Harry Falk
>
>
>
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