Dear Andrea,

     This comes as a shocking surprise. I feel very sad to hear about Tom's passing. During my early years at the University of Michigan, Tom was a student of mine at the Department of Linguistics, but he became a longtime friend. Along with his academic interests, Tom was an excellent Sarod player, and often played it at our home in Ann Arbor. I have a few photographs of him at our Ann Arbor home. Around 1978, we had bought an old house that needed a good deal of work on it. Tom volunteered to help me out in fixing various things. After he left Michigan, he kept in touch. I am sad to lose a very good friend. Rest in peace, my friend! 😥😥😥 🙏🙏🙏

Madhav M. Deshpande

Professor Emeritus, Sanskrit and Linguistics 

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

Senior Fellow, Oxford Center for Hindu Studies

Adjunct Professor, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore, India

[Residence: Campbell, California, USA]

On Fri, Sep 23, 2022 at 3:21 AM Andrea Acri <andrea.acri@ephe.sorbonne.fr> wrote:

Dear colleagues,

it is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing away of Dr. Thomas M. Hunter. Many will remember him as a dear colleague, friend, and supportive mentor who inspired many scholars and students around the world (including myself). Tom was Lecturer in Sanskrit and South-Southeast Asian Studies at the University of British Columbia from 2018 until 2021, where he taught very popular courses spanning such diverse subjects as Sanskrit, Gender in Southeast Asia, The Sanskrit  Cosmopolis, and History of the Indian Ocean World. Prior to joining UBC, he held various visiting positions at academic institutions in Heidelberg, Berlin, Jerusalem, Yogyakarta, Denpasar, and Darwin. Struck by a sudden illness, he moved to Bali under the care of his wife, Dr. Ni Wayan Ariati, until he passed away on September the 20th, at the age of 74. His cremation will be held in Bali on September the 27th.

Tom was a pioneer in the comparative study of Sanskrit and Old Javanese languages and literatures, and encouraged a cross-pollination between South and Southeast Asian Studies. Among his most significant works are a contribution to the monumental edition, translation, and study of the Old Javanese Kakavin Sumanasāntaka (Leiden/Boston: Brill, 2013), two chapters in “Innovations and Turning Points: Towards a History of Kāvya Literature” by Yigal Bronner, David Shulman and Gary Tubb, and many scholarly articles in academic journals and edited volumes, only a handful of which are available at https://wix.academia.edu/ThomasHunter. 

Tom left behind a significant body of in-progress unpublished work, including draft translations of Old Javanese Kakavins, a Reader of Old Javanese literature (Sekar Iniket), and a grammar of Old Javanese. A collaborative edition and translation of the unpublished Kakawin Pārthayajña was being undertaken by Tom and myself, and will hopefully be published before too long.

Best regards,

Andrea Acri

EPHE/EFEO, Paris

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