Delighted to have been interviewed by Devina Sengupta for this thoughtful piece on the growing use of expletives in the workplace. The article appears in today’s national edition of Mint.
livemint.com/opinion/onli...

Happy to share that if you read German, you may like to read the German translation of my article on SIGN languages of the Indian subcontinent by Dr. Rathgeber, in Südasien, a magazine published by the Südasienbüro, Heidelberg University.
hasp.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/journals/sas...

Bankipur (Patna) is today in the headlines because of Prashant Kishor’s electoral victory and the political upheaval it has caused in Bihar. But for academics, Bankipur has always occupied a very different place in India’s intellectual landscape. Read ⤵️
avtans.com/2026/08/03/b...

If the German hit song "Du bist gut genug" by Blumengarten, KITSCHKRIEG, and Shirin David is translated into Hindi, how would you like it to be A or B or C?:

🅰️ तुम ठीक-ठाक हो (tum ṭhīk-ṭhāk ho) 🎵🎵
🅱️ तुम काफ़ी हो (tum kāfī ho) 🎵🎵

🔊🎸 ?
#dubistgutgenug

1/3 What can swear words tell us about a society?
Quite a lot. They reveal what a culture considers sacred, shameful or threatening, and expose its prejudices around caste, gender, sexuality, disability and social status.

Language innovations on the roads: Tirri, Toto, Battery and Elecsha
avtans.com/2026/07/06/e...

Technical words for data, database, big data, data set ect in Marathi
avtans.com/2026/07/01/t...

What is the etymology of Champat चम्पत / चंपत? My thoughts -

गुप्तचर guptachara (spy)
When Vibhishana joined lord Rama in his battle against Ravana, he was accompanied by four of his best गुप्तचर guptachara cum counsellors. Their names were Anala अनल, Sharabha शरभ, Sampāti सम्पाति and praghasa प्रघस. 1/2

Interesting to know that Swathi Thirunal is a 1987 Malayalam film based on the life of the 19th-century king of Travancore (Kerala), Swathi Thirunal Ramavarma who composed songs in Braj Bhasha. The role of the king was played by Anant Nag. Here's Jamunā Kināre...ജമുനാ കിനാരെ...

16 Kannada ಕನ್ನಡ fonts on one page:
(added 6 new Kannada fonts)
avtans.com/2023/12/28/k...

मैं एक नन्हा बालक हूँ। जाड़ों के दिन हैं। रात का समय है। मुझे पेशाब लग रहा है। आया को बुलाना बेकार है। एक ही उपाय है - रेंगता हुआ बाथरूम तक पहुँचूँ। सबसे पहले तो बिस्तर से उतरना होगा। इसका भी उपाय है, जिसे मैंने ख़ुद ढूँढ रखा है। मैं खिसक-खिसक कर बिस्तर के सिरे तक पहुँच जाता हूँ, पीठ के बल लेट जाता हूँ और फिर अपना शरीर फर्श पर लुढ़का देता हूँ। मैं फर्श से टकराता हूँ। काफ़ी दर्द होता है।
avtans.com/2026/05/29/%...

How Marathi evolved into its modern form as spoken in Pune, India?
avtans.com/2026/06/09/e...

In the retelling of the story of the brave well digger Jasmā Ōḍan by the famous Rajasthani writer Vijaydan Detha, the king who is in love with her is constantly greeted with the cries of khamā/khammā ghaṇī (खमा / खम्मा घणी).
avtans.com/2026/03/17/k...

In the Nepali language, the word boksi (बोक्सी) is a term from folk belief. It refers to a female figure who is believed to possess knowledge of witchcraft and black magic.
avtans.com/2026/06/02/b...

When I lived in Delhi, I used to see खरोड़े, पेटी, सिरी—Kharoṛe, peṭī, sirī, written on the boards of small dhabas and carts selling these rather unknown food items, especially around liquor vends. It was obvious they were selling meat dishes, but of which animal or bird, I was not sure.

When rest of the world was learning about erotica, Sanskrit literary theorist were discussing the semantic aspects of poetry by comparing them with bosoms of women from different regions of India.

Have you heard of these Hebrew words?
Ha-mitnahalim, Ha-kovshim, hamekomiim, pazam...
Here is an interesting story I wrote about Israeli people living in India
avtans.com/2023/08/31/a...

I tried my hands in translating a Marathi language poem in Dutch for a project of the Municipality of The Hague & Spraakmekend "Welke Taal Spreekt Den Haag?" (The Hague speaks which language). Originals were recited by a native speaker & are published in a booklet of poems.

I read this book "No full stops in India" by Mark Tully (1935-2026) when I was in my bachelor studies. Loved his style of writing! RIP 🙏
[Sir William Mark Tully (24 October 1935 – 25 January 2026) was a British journalist and the bureau chief of the BBC in New Delhi.]

Deeply saddened to hear of the demise of Prof. Pramod Pandey, a towering figure in Indian linguistics and former Professor at JNU. Soft-spoken, kind-hearted, and ever willing to help, he was my go-to mentor for advice. A true gentleman. Om Shanti🙏🙏.

Fresh:
I wrote this piece where I try to untangle all the knots around the pronunciations of ज्ञ /ಜ್ಞ / জ্ঞ / જ્ઞ / jña in Indian languages. Comments awaited!
wp.me/pSoc-2jF

Happy new year. Read this Hindi poem by Priti Shri (1941)

Saddened by the passing of former professor of Hindi language Dr. Mohan Gautam (1937 – 2025), who left us in August 2025🙏📿🌺. A distinguished scholar and beloved educator at Leiden University. Dr. Gautam made profound contributions to the study of Hindi language and diaspora studies.

Saddened to hear of the passing of the legendary Surinamese-Indian linguist, author, farmer, musician, & polymath Mr. Moti Marhé (1943 – 5 Dec 2025). He touched the hearts of all who met him with his kind & friendly nature. He welcomed people into his home & into his heart.🙏🕉️1/3