Alain Daniélou

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Alain Daniélou
translator, writer
NationalityFrench
SubjectCulture of India, Hindu studies, Indian classical music, Indian philosophy, Shaivite Hinduism
Notable works
  • Introduction to the Study of Musical Scales (1943)[1]
  • The Myths and Gods of India: The Classic Work on Hindu Polytheism (1964)[2]
  • Gods of Love and Ecstasy: The Traditions of Shiva and Dionysus (1979)[3]
PartnerRaymond Burnier[4]
RelativesJean Daniélou[4][5][6]
Website
www.alaindanielou.org

Alain Daniélou (4 October 1907 – 27 January 1994) was a

convert to and expert on the Shaivite branch of Hinduism.[7]

In 1991 he was awarded the

Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, the highest honour conferred by Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy for Music, Dance and Drama.[8]

Early life and education

His mother, Madeleine Clamorgan, was from an old family of the

Breton politician who held numerous national ministerial posts in the Third Republic. One of his brothers was the Roman Catholic prelate and Académie Française member, Jean Daniélou.[4][5][6][9]

He received his education at the

European languages.[9]

Career

India: 1932–1960

He and his partner, the Swiss photographer Raymond Burnier,[4] first went to India as part of an adventure trip, and they were fascinated with the art and culture of the nation. Daniélou and Burnier were among the first Westerners to visit India's famed erotic Hindu temples in the village of Khajuraho and Burnier's stunning photographs of the ancient temple complex launched the site internationally. The photographs were featured in an exhibition at the New York's Metropolitan Museum.[10]

In 1932, during his first trip to India, he met one of the great influences poet Rabindranath Tagore.[9] His close association with Tagore lead him to become the director of Tagore's school of music at Shantiniketan (Visva-Bharati University).[11] Subsequently, in 1935, he joined the Banaras Hindu University, where he studied Hindustani music, Sanskrit language and literature, Hindu philosophy, and Hindu religion for the next 15 years of his life. In 1949, he was appointed as a research professor at the University, a post he held until 1953; he also remained the director of the College of Indian Music. In Bénarès (now Varanasi), he lived in a mansion on the banks of the Ganges, named Rewa Kothi. During these years, he studied Indian classical music in Bénarès with Shivendranath Basu and played the veena, a classical Indian instrument which he started playing professionally. He also studied Hindi and Sanskrit languages, as well as Indian philosophy.

His interest in the symbolism of

Tirukkural, a Tamil moral literature.[14]

In 1953, he joined the Adyar Library and Research Centre at the Theosophical Society Adyar near Madras (now Chennai), where he was the director of a centre of research into Sanskrit literature until 1956. In 1959, he became a member of French Institute of Pondicherry, which works in the field of Indology.[9]

Europe: 1960 onwards

Upon his return to Europe in 1960, he was appointed an advisor to the

Anthology of Indian Classical Music - A Tribute to Alain Daniélou. In 1963, he became the founder and director of the International Institute for Comparative Music Studies and Documentation (IICMSD) in West Berlin, where he remained till 1977; he was also the director of the Istituto Internazionale di Musica Comparata (IISMC) in Venice from 1969 to 1979.[9]

He worked on Indian classical music. But his more important contribution to Indology is his writings on the ancient wisdom of the Vedas, Hindu philosophy, and Shaivism.[citation needed]

He is the author of over thirty books on Indian music and culture. He received several awards for his work on music. He was also a photographer and artist.[citation needed]

Awards and recognition

Daniélou was an Officer of the

Commander of Arts and Letters. He was the director of the UNESCO Collection series, a series of recordings of traditional world music. In 1981, Daniélou received the UNESCO/CIM prize for music, and, in 1987 the Kathmandu Medal from UNESCO
.

Legacy

In 2004, to mark his tenth death anniversary a photo exhibition, "India through the eyes of Alain Danielou (1935-1955)" was hosted at the

Alliance Française, Hyderabad.[11]

Works

Discography

Filmography

  • 2023: Alain Daniélou, l'esprit libre, a documentary by fr:Joël Farges, Kolam, 77', ISAN 0000-0006-EA8A-0000-F-0000-0000-T.
  • 2017: Alain Daniélou - The Way to the Labyrinth, a documentary by Riccardo Biadene, KAMA Productions.

See also

References

  1. S2CID 190774873 – via Internet Archive
    .
  2. S2CID 169604069
    .
  3. S2CID 191033152
    .
  4. ^ a b c d e Golliau, Catherine (28 June 2010). "L'affaire Daniélou". Le Point (in French). Paris. Archived from the original on 15 May 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  5. ^ a b c Catinchi, Philippe-Jean (8 September 2010). ""L'Hindouisme traditionnel et l'interprétation d'Alain Daniélou", de Jean-Louis Gabin: Alain Daniélou, revu et corrigé". Le Monde (in French). Paris. Archived from the original on 9 September 2010. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  6. ^
    ISBN 9782750904234
    .
  7. OCLC 943053586
    .
  8. ^ "SNA: List of Sangeet Natak Akademi Ratna Puraskarwinners (Akademi Fellows)". SNA Official website. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h Kirkup, James (4 February 1994). "Obituary: Alain Daniélou". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  10. ^ "Medieval Indian Sculpture" (PDF). Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  11. ^ a b c "Visual flashback". The Hindu. 19 July 2004. Archived from the original on 9 September 2004. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
  12. ^ "Snapshots of Indian culture". The Telegraph. 19 March 2009. Archived from the original on 23 March 2009. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
  13. ^ Rama, Swami (1999) Himalayan Institute, Living With the Himalayan Masters, page 247.
  14. ^ Sanjeevi, N. (1973). Bibliography on Tirukkural. In First All India Tirukkural Seminar Papers. Chennai: University of Madras. p. 146.

External links

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