BURKE, Marie Louise (Sister Gargi, Pravrajika Prajnanaprana). 23.6.1911 — San Francisco 20.1.2004. U.S. Author and Devotee of Ramakrishna Order. Introduced to the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda movement in 1948 by Swami Ashokananda (1893–1969). Took took her vows of Brahmacharya in 1974 in India. Died of cancer. Publications: Swami Vivekananda in the West: New Discoveries.…
BUCCA, Salvador (Salvatore Bucca). Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto near Messina in Sicily 30.10.1920 — Buenos Aires 30.12.2005. Argentinian (Italian-born) Linguist interested in the Upanishads. Born in Sicilly, studied at Pisa (graduated in classics 1944), then collaborator in the Lexicon Etruscum in Florence, moved to Argentina in 1948. Taught classics and Sanskrit…
BRUNNER-LACHAUX, Helène (née H. Lachaux). L’Hérault 20.5.1920 — Lausanne 27.3.2005. French Indologist. Studied first mathematics and physics, CAPES 1942, and taught them at school in 1942-62, first in France, then 1951-53 Berchtesgaden, 1953-55 Addis Abeba and 1955-62 at Pondichéry French lycée. Now became interested in Śaivism and joined Filliozat’s Śaivasiddhānta team. Also…
BRUIN, Cornelis de (Bruyn, C. De Bruijn). the Hague 1652 — Utrecht 1727. Dutch Painter and Traveller. Son of Jan de Bruin. In 1672-1693 he went through Italy to Turkey, then to Syria and Egypt, coming back through Venice. The second trip began in 1701 when he first went via Archangelsk…
BOURGEOIS, Danielle. 19?? — 2005. Belgian Alpinist. Married 1967 Jean Bourgeois (b. 1938). In 1969 they travelled in Afghanistan and found in Laghmān an Aramaic Aśokan inscription. In 2000 they were living in Dinant. Publications: With J. Bourgeois: “Les inscriptions et dessins rupestres de la Vallée du Laghman”, Afghanistan 24:2-3, 1350…
BONVALOT, Pierre Gabriel Édouard. Épagne (Aube) 13.7.1853 — Auteuil, Paris 10.12.1933. French Central Asian Explorer. Son of Pierre Bonvalot and Louise-Félicie Congniasse des Jardins, school in Troyes. In 1880-82 and 1886-87 expeditions to Russian Central Asia. In 1889-90 with Prince Henri of Orléans through Russia to Chinese Central Asia, then through…
BETTANY, George Thomas. Penzance, Cornwall 30.3.1850 — Dulwich, London 2.12.1891. British Biologist, Anthropologist, and Author. Son of George Bettany, a schoolmaster and journalist. Educated privately, then 1868-70 at Guy’s Hospital in London. From 1870 studies at Cambridge (Caius College), B.A. 1874, M.A. 1877. Lectured biology at Girton and Newnham Colleges,…
BERGER, Hermann. Bad Kötzting, Bayerischer Wald 17.10.1926 — Heidelberg 31.1.2005. German Indologist. Professor in Heidelberg. After school military service ending as war prisoner. Released studies of Indology, IE linguistics ans Semitic at Munich 1948-53, 1953 Ph.D. there. His main teacher was H. Hoffmann, also K. Hoffmann, F. Sommer and A.…
BEČKA, Jiří. Prague 16.10.1915 — Prague 21.12.2004. Czech Iranian Scholar. Gymnasium in Prague. From 1936 studied law and Oriental languages at Prague, then much belated because of WW II. Dr. juris 1945. Ph.D. 1954. In 1952-76 librarian and research scholar at Institute of Oriental Studies, Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, then…
BECHERT, Heinz. Munich 26.6.1932 — Göttingen 14.6.2005. German Indologist, a Famous Specialist of Buddhist Studies. Professor in Göttingen. Son of Rudolf Becher (1900–1961), a lawyer, and Herta Bade. After gymnasium in Rosenheim from 1950 studies at Munich, beginning with classical philology and history, soon linguistics under Sommer and finally Indology.…