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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

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...

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

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...

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

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...

avtans.com

Bankipur in Academic World

Bankipur in academic world

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

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

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

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.

screenshot of the wepage:
https://www.himalmag.com/swear-words-southasia-linguistics-taboo/

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

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

Text describing etymology of champat (a Hindi language word).

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

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

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/37947

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

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...

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

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

avtans.com

Kannada Fonts

Free Kannada Fonts

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

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/%...

avtans.com

रुबेन गालेगो की आपबीती

Hindi translation of a chapter from Rubén Gallego’s russian autobiography Beloe na chyornom.

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

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...

avtans.com

Khamma Ghani: Origins and Significance Explored

Etymology of Khama Ghani

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

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...

avtans.com

Boksi : the witch

Supernatural beings in Nepali.

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

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.

avtans.com

Kharoṛe, peṭī, sirī – food from the bylanes of Delhi

Dishes from proletariat cuisine of Delhi

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

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.

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

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...

avtans.com

An Israeli haven in India

Making of a small Israel in India.

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

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.

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 26/01/2026

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.]

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

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🙏🙏.

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 19/01/2026

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

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ज्ञ jña in Indian langauges

The story of ज्ञ jñā in Indian languages

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 01/01/2026

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

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

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.

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

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

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Reposted by Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस

Himal Southasian @himalsouthasian.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

"Caste identity is made audible even in routine daily interactions. Language also acts as a marker of social aspiration and mobility," Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस writes about #caste and #language in #Southasia www.himalmag.com/politics/language-…

himalmag.com

How caste pervades Southasian languages

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

Cyclone named "Ditwah" ravaging the island nation of Sri Lanka is a Soqotri language word. Soqotri is a southern Semitic language spoken by the Soqotri people on the Socotra archipelago by more than 111,000 speakers. In Soqotri, Ditwah (di-ṭaḥḥ) means 'shore' NOT lagoon.

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

सोवियत संघ soviyat sangh (Soviet Union). Soviet совет is a Russian equivalent of what we have in Hindi panchayat पंचायत pañcāyat (a village council).

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

तुषार tuṣār (frost, snow, ice) A Kumaoni idiom: तुषारै की कड़कड़ घामा औण तक। झुठै की कड़कड़ सांचा औण तक। The frost crackles until the sun comes, and the lie crackles until the truth is revealed.

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

Why you will never marry! (Source: Lone Fox Dancing - an autobiography, Ruskin Bond, 2017)

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

Herbertpur derives its name from Lieutenant-General Sir Herbert Taylor Macpherson (1827–1886), a decorated British military officer of Scottish descent, who later became Commander-in-Chief of the Madras Army. avtans.com/2025/12/02/h...

avtans.com

Herbertpur

A small town in history

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 30/11/2025

Cool solidarity In 2004, American sociolinguist Scott Kiesling proposed the concept of "cool Solidarity". According to which, "dude" in American English helped young men navigate social pressures by expressing "cool solidarity", a non-intimate form of affiliation or connection.

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 25/11/2025

I grew up noticing differences in languages depending on one's caste (or community), but prescriptivists often brushed them aside as aberrant speech. Here is what I’ve written about the state of these linguistic differences in India and beyond. www.himalmag.com/politics/lan...

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 30/10/2025

While watching the series 1883, I realized how short is our collective memory. In those times, there was the epidemic of smallpox, which is called चेचक, शीतला & बड़ी माता chēchak śītlā & baṛī mātā in Hindi. It was a deadly disease devastating many families and communties.

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 26/10/2025

Tāq /tāk ताक़/ताक Hindi has preserved this Arabic origin word in a common idiom niyamon ko tāk pe rakhnā नियमों को ताक पर रखना (to disregard the rules). So something kept on tāk is kind of left unattended or ignored.

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 23/10/2025

Pālthī पालथी aka tailor pose Did you know that pālthī पालथी i.e. sitting cross-legged on one's thighs is called the “tailor’s pose” in 🇬🇧 English and other European languages (as in Dutch 🇳🇱 kleermakerszit)?

https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/nl/collectie/object/Kleermaker--ed90eed8f9605ef1f5a9c2d6250717f2

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 10/10/2025

Nobel prize winners in literature by languages! What do you think? #nobelprize

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

The Milk Tea Alliance is a term used for pro-democracy networks of people from countries such as Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Myanmar against authoritarianism and Chinese state influence. It takes its name from the shared practice of drinking tea ☕ with milk in these countries.

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

From वेताल की प्रेमिका (Indrajāl comics) in 1988.

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 06/10/2025

Worcestershire sauce It's a folk etymology that the recipe for Worcestershire sauce was brought by an ex-governor of Bengal, India. This lore was created by the company Lea & Perrins to exoticize their product in 19th-century Britain. The said governor, Marcus Sandys, had never set foot in India.

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 05/10/2025

Is it विजयादशमी vijayādashamī or विजयदशमी vijayadashamī? Vijayā विजया is a feminine noun in Sanskrit. In Hindu religious discourse, the 10th day of the bright half of Āśvina is called विजया vijayā. Vijayā is also the epithet of Goddess Durgā. [1]

Image of Durga. Photo by Souvik laha: https://www.pexels.com/photo/durga-puja-art-10852594/

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 02/10/2025

Interesting find! The Oral History of Tibetan Studies (OHTS) is a project that collects and archives the personal accounts and memories of individuals who contributed to Tibetan Studies as an academic discipline in the late 20th century. oralhistory.iats.info/interviews/

oralhistory.iats.info

Interviews

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 02/10/2025

Here's to your good future🙌 विजयादशमी की शुभकामनाएँ (vijayādśamī kī śubhakāmanāẽ) - Happy Dussehra!! In northern India, seeing Neelkanth bird, fish, curd, & silver coins upon opening the eyes on the Dussehra morning, is considered auspicious and good omens. 1/3

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 02/10/2025

विजयादशमी की शुभकामनाएँ। आज पढ़िए विजयादशमी (दशहरा) पर यह लेख जिसमें बताया गया है कि भारत के विभिन्न प्रांतों में यह त्यौहार कैसे मनाया जाता है। wp.me/pSoc-2eh

wp.me

दशहरे का त्यौहार: भारत की सांस्कृतिक एकता

भारत के विभिन्न राज्यों में विजयादशमी कैसे मनाई जाती है?

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

Sprouted coconut is called नारियल का फूल nāriyal kā phūl in Hindi and her sister languages. Intrestingly, this seems like a calque (loan-translation) of Tamil tēṅkāyppū தேங்காய்ப்பூ (coconut flower).

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

Bombay duck (Harpadon nehereus) is a type of lizardfish popular along the western coast of India, where it is also known as bombil in Marathi and Konkani. It is not a bird but a fish. There are various speculations about the etymology of its English name. Read further- avtans.com/2025/10/01/u...

avtans.com

Untangling the etymology of Bombay Duck

Etymology of Bombay duck aka Bombil. It is not a bird but a fish!

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Reposted by Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस

LeidenGlobal @leidenglobal.bsky.social · 05/09/2025

𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘌𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥’𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘬, 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘈𝘴𝘪𝘢? @avtansa.bsky.social (@unileiden.bsky.social) explains @himalmag.bsky.social how 19th century tea cultivation shaped culture and language in South India & Sri Lanka. @studieverenigingtwist.nl

himalmag.com

Languages and labour on tea estates in South India and Sri Lanka

Languages and labour on tea estates in South India and Sri Lanka: Part 2

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 20/07/2025

Rules of Kānwar Yatrā काँवड़ यात्रा (from the book - bol bam bhajanāvalī, 1988)

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 20/07/2025

A unique letter published in August 1933 in Chand Magazine (Hindi). Edited by Navjādiklāl Srivastava, Chand magazine was published from Allahabad (now known as (Prayagraj). The letter was written by a sex-worker from Bihar.

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Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस @avtansa.bsky.social · 05/07/2025

What is the relationship between a fungus and Indian tea drinking? In 1870s, Ceylon was the world's biggest producer of coffee. But in the late 19th century, coffee plantations first in Ceylon & then in mainland India were swept by a fungal epidemic caused by Hemileia vastatrix.1/n

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