The OCHS is delighted to announce the appointment of Professor John Brockington as the Interim Academic Director of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies for the year 2016–17.

Professor Brockington is an Oxonian belonging (Corpus Christi College, 1959–65) with a BA (1963), MA (1966) and D.Phil (1968) from the University.

Professor Brockington is a renowned Sanskritist who has authored and edited several books and nearly one hundred articles, mainly on the Sanskrit epics and the history of Hinduism. He has also lectured and presented in conferences around the world. His key books include The Sacred Thread: Hinduism in its continuity and diversity; Righteous Rāma: the evolution of an epic (1985); Hinduism and Christianity (1992); The Sanskrit Epics (1998); A Descriptive Catalogue of the Sanskrit and other Indian Manuscripts of the Chandra Shum Shere Collection in the Bodleian Library, Part II, Epics and Purāṇas (1999); and Epic Threads: John Brockington on the Sanskrit Epics (2000).  He is the Emeritus Professor of Sanskrit, University of Edinburgh, and has recently received the honorary degree of Vidyāvācaspati (equivalent to D.Litt.) from Silpakorn University, Bangkok.

His current research is on the textual problems of the Rāmāyaṇa and has widened his work on the Rāmāyaṇa tradition by studying it both in India and the rest of Asia (in collaboration with Mary Brockington). He is also interested in the research on various aspects of the Mahābhārata, including its supplement, the Harivaṃśa, as well as exploring further the history of Indology as an academic discipline.

Although Professor Brockington is an old friend of OCHS, we warmly welcome him in his new role and look forward to his continued contribution to the academic life of the Centre.ª