HARDY, Friedhelm Ernst (Fred). Köln 4.3.1943 — Reading 4.8.2004. German Indologist and Scholar of Indian Religion in the U.K. Brought up by his mother as father had died in the end of war. Started studies of Indology at Münster (under Hacker) and Heidelberg. In 1966 came to the U.K. and continued his studies under Burrow at Oxford. B.A., then Ph.D. 197? Oxford (under Zaehner, diss. based on fieldwork in Tamil Nadu). In the early 1980s Lecturer in Indian Religions at King’s College, University of London. In early 1990s Reader of the same, ibid. Retired as Professor of History and Philosophy of Religions just before his death. Died of cardiac arrest. Married with Aruna Gokhale, a mathematician, one daughter and one son.
Hardy was a scholar of South Indian Vaiṣṇava religion and religious literature in both Sanskrit and Tamil. Fieldwork in Tamilnadu. He knew also Marāṭhī.
Publications: Diss. publ. as Viraha-Bhakti. The early history of Kṛṣṇa devotion in South India. 640 p. Oxford Univ. South Asian Series. 1980.
– “The philosopher as poet a study of Vedāntadeśika’s Dehalīśastuti”, JIPh 7, 1979, 277-325; “The diary of an unknown Indian girl”, Religion10, 1980, 165-182; and many other articles.
– With others: The World Religions. L. 1988.
– The Religious Culture of India: Power, Love and Wisdom. 13+613 p. 19 pl. Cambridge 1994.
– Āryāsaptaśatī: Seven Hundred Elegant Verses by Govardhana. Translated (with text). 25+695 p. Clay Sanskrit Library. N.Y. 2009.
Sources: Personal meeting 1995; S. Subrahmanyam, obituary in Indology List (3.11.2009); obituary in ochs.org.uk; Wikipedia.