Dear colleagues 

This is terribly sad news. While recognizing that Ashok was a giant among Sanskrit scholars I think it should be mentioned also that he was a pillar of South Asian studies in the Pacific Northwest. A regular participant and the supporter of SACPAN  the South Asia Colloquium (now Conference) of the Pacific Northwest. 

If someone could share the current email address for Vidyut it would be appreciated

Frank Conlon 

University of Washington 

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From: INDOLOGY <indology-bounces@list.indology.info> on behalf of Raffaele Torella via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info>
Sent: Wednesday, 28 October 2026 09:03:27
To: J P Olivelle <jpo@austin.utexas.edu>
Cc: Indology List <indology@list.indology.info>
Subject: Re: [INDOLOGY] Ashok Aklujkar passed away

 

I fondly remember the month we spent together in Rome along with Vidyut when I invited him as visiting professor at Sapienza. On that occasion I discovered the other face of Ashok: not only a monument of Sanskrit learning but also a charming and witty person. After using for years his Sanskrit textbook for my classes, with his kind permission I prepared an Italian adoptation of it which is still widely used in Italian universities. So to Italian students Ashok Aklujkar and Sanskrit are one and the same thing. Farewell, dear friend…

Raffaele Torella

Il giorno 28 ott 2026, alle ore 12:44, Patrick Olivelle via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> ha scritto:

So sad to hear this news, Madhav. I have had a close relationship with Ashok. Before he retired he invited me to give a series of talks at UBC and Suman and I got to meet their daughter and to appreciate their parenting skills. We will miss him, and his death is a big loss for the field. Warmly,

Patrick Olivelle

On Oct 27, 2026, at 9:27 PM, Madhav Deshpande via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

I just now read a message from Shrikant Bahulkar that Ashok Aklujkar passed away today. I knew from Vidyut Aklujkar that Ashok had a hip replacement surgery and he was in hospital taking somewhat longer time to recover. But I did not expect to hear this sad news. I also received a message from Vidyut just a minute ago. I knew Ashok from my highschool days in Pune. He was four-five years ahead of me. Later we became very close friends for a lifetime. A very big loss to the field of Sanskrit studies. May he rest in peace.

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]

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Prof. Raffaele Torella
Emeritus Professor of Sanskrit
Sapienza University of Rome
wwwuniroma1.academia.edu/raffaeletorella

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