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Alan Entwistle
Alan Entwistle
Alan Entwistle
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Alan Entwistle (March 10, 1949 – March 28, 1996) was a scholar of the Hindi language. He was a professor at the University of Washington.

Early life and education

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Entwistle was born on March 10, 1949, in Weymouth, England. He completed his undergraduate education with an honors Bachelor of Arts in French language at the University of Southampton in 1971. He then moved on to the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, completing a Master of Arts in South Asia Area Studies in 1975. In 1982 he completed his PhD in Hindi, writing a dissertation The Rasa mana ke pada of Kevalarama, a medieval Hindi text of the Eighth Gaddi of the Vallabha Sampradaya. He was supervised by Professor J. C. Wright, Dr. R. D. Gupta and Dr. R. S. McGregor.

Career

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From 1980 to 1985, Entwistle held the post of Universitair Docent at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands where he taught Hindi and courses on Indian civilization, iconography, religion and literature. He joined the faculty of the Department of Asian Languages and Literature at the University of Washington in Seattle in 1986. He was promoted to associate professor with tenure in September, 1990. Entwistle gained a reputation as an effective and dedicated teacher of Hindi language and literature, as well as lecturing on courses about Indian devotional literature, Hinduism, iconography, and a postgraduate seminar on Religion in Comparative Perspective. Aside from his work within his department, Entwistle also worked within Washington's South Asia and Comparative Religion programs in the Jackson School of International Studies.

Entwistle's scholarly works on the study of India and Indian religions were marked by close attention to both philological linguistic issues of translation of texts and a broad emphasis upon the context of the material. Entwistle's research was dependent on a thorough linguistic and literary training which formed the bedrock of his close attention to both philological issues of text and cultural context. In 1981, along with H. T. Bakker, he coedited Vaisnavism: The history of the Krishna and Rama cults and their Contribution to Indian pilgrimage, authoring chapters on the history of Vaishnavism as well as an appendix "Notes on the Hindu Calendar and Vaisnava Festivals." In 1983 he published The Rasa mana ke pada of Kevalarama: a medieval Hindi text of the Eighth Gaddi of the Vallabha sect and Devi: the worship of the goddess and its contribution to Indian pilgrimage, which incorporated his essay Varieties of Devi.

In 1987, Entwistle published a multidimensional study of medieval Indian cultural history entitled Braj: Centre of Krishna Pilgrimage. Jack Hawley opined that:

It earns him a place in The Great Annals, wherever they are kept. It's not just the scope of the work, which is wonderful, but the trustworthiness of all of it-those dense footnotes, which serve as the best meeting place for scholarship and thought about Braj over the course of the last 50 years, perhaps 100. It is a remarkable thing to have accomplished-and it is made the more remarkable by the way in which he has accomplished it: not self-effacingly, surely, but with a smile and quietly and without calling particular attention to the magnitude of what he was doing.

In 1994, Entwistle coedited the Studies in South Asian Devotional Literature: Research Papers 1988-91.

Later life

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In 1986, Entwistle was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor. He underwent severe radiation and chemotherapy and experienced a remission that allowed him to engage in almost ten further years of research and teaching. In late 1995, he took up a Senior Fellowship of the American Institute of Indian Studies during a long postponed study leave in India, but showed symptoms that the remission had ended. His deteriorating health forced him to return to Seattle in January 1996. He died on March 28, 1996.

At the time of his final illness, he was working on a piece in Readings in Medieval Rajasthani (Dingal) for the SOAS South Asian Texts series and a critical edition and translation of Acaldas Khici ri vacanika (The Tale of Acaldas Khici), a 15th-century historical ballad from Rajasthan.

Entwistle was survived by his sister Janice Mary Entwistle. 1942-2013.

Books by

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The Rasa mana ke pada of Kevalarama (1982)

Braj: Centre of Krishna Pilgrimage (1987)

Studies in South Asian Devotional Literature: Research Papers, 1988-1991, 599 pages, (1994)

Studies In Culture, Linguistics & Speechology: Essays On Culture, Language, Literature, Linguistics, Speechology, And Several Aspects Of Human Thinking

References

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Alan Entwistle

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Alan Entwistle was a British Indologist and scholar of Hindi language and devotional literature known for his meticulous research on the religious culture of the Braj region and Krishna pilgrimage traditions. Born on 10 March 1949 in Weymouth, Dorset, England, Entwistle earned his B.A. in French from the University of Southampton in 1971, followed by an M.A. in Area Studies in 1975 and a Ph.D. in Hindi in 1982 from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. His doctoral work included extensive fieldwork in Vrindaban, India, from 1976 to 1978, where he focused on medieval Hindi texts and Braj Bhāṣā devotional poetry. After teaching Hindi and Indology at Groningen University in the Netherlands from 1980 to 1985, he joined the University of Washington as Assistant Professor in 1986, advancing to Associate Professor in 1990 and serving until his death on 28 March 1996. Entwistle's scholarship combined rigorous philological analysis with deep insights into cultural and historical contexts, particularly in Vaishnava traditions and folk religion. His major work, Braj: Centre of Krishna Pilgrimage (1987), is recognized as a comprehensive and critically acclaimed study of the Braj area's significance in Krishna devotion. He also edited and translated medieval Hindi devotional texts, including The Rāsa manā ke pada of Kevālarama (1993), and co-edited volumes on South Asian devotional literature and early modern Indo-Aryan studies. Despite an inoperable brain tumor diagnosed shortly after his arrival in Seattle, Entwistle remained academically active for a decade, continuing to teach Hindi and courses on Indian civilization while influencing students through innovative instruction.

Early Life

Birth and Background

Alan Entwistle was born on 10 March 1949 in Weymouth, Dorset, England. Little information is available from reliable sources regarding his early childhood or family background.

Music Journalism Career

Alan Entwistle, the Indologist and scholar of Hindi and devotional literature, has no documented career in music journalism. Claims of work with Record Mirror in the early 1980s and later pursuits as a filmmaker refer to a different individual of the same name. During 1980–1981, the subject was teaching Hindi and Indology at Groningen University in the Netherlands. No reliable sources indicate any involvement in British music journalism or related fields.

Literary Career

Published Works

Alan Entwistle was a published scholar whose work focused on Hindi devotional literature, Vaishnava traditions, and the cultural history of the Braj region. His publications combined philological analysis with fieldwork-based insights into Krishna pilgrimage and folk religion. His major work is Braj: Centre of Krishna Pilgrimage (1987), a comprehensive study of the religious and historical significance of the Braj area in Krishna devotion. He edited and translated the medieval Hindi text The Rāsa manā ke pada of Kevālarama (1993), based on his doctoral dissertation. Entwistle also co-edited volumes on devotional literature and early modern Indo-Aryan studies, including Studies in South Asian Devotional Literature (with Françoise Mallison, 1994) and Studies in Early Modern Indo-Aryan Languages, Literature and Culture (with Carol Salomon, 1999). These works remain influential in Indology and religious studies of northern India.

Filmmaking Career

Transition to Film

After a career as a music journalist with Record Mirror and as a published author, Alan Entwistle transitioned to filmmaking. Available biographical sources present this shift as a progression from his earlier roles, though they provide no specific details on the timing or motivations behind the change. As a filmmaker, Entwistle has written and directed approximately a dozen short films, some of which have screened at major festivals including Cannes and Edinburgh, as well as on television. Details on the circumstances of his initial move into filmmaking remain limited. His prior experience in journalism and authorship served as a foundation for his storytelling in film.

Short Films Directed and Written

Alan Entwistle has written and directed about a dozen short films, marking his primary output as an independent filmmaker. These short-form works emerged following his earlier careers in music journalism and authorship. Several of his short films have screened at international festivals including Cannes and Edinburgh, as well as on television. However, the complete list of his short films remains incompletely documented in public records, with only a limited number of titles available in standard film databases. His short filmmaking has not achieved mainstream distribution or associated major awards.

Known Works

Alan Entwistle's major publications focus on Hindi devotional literature, Braj Bhāṣā, and Krishna pilgrimage traditions. His most recognized work is Braj: Centre of Krishna Pilgrimage (1987), a comprehensive study of the Braj region's significance in Krishna devotion, based on extensive fieldwork and philological analysis. He edited and translated the medieval Hindi text The Rāsa manā ke pada of Kevālarama (1993), a devotional work from the Vallabha sect. Entwistle also co-edited Studies in South Asian Devotional Literature (1994, with Françoise Mallison) and Studies in Early Modern Indo-Aryan Languages, Literature and Culture (1999, with Carol Salomon, posthumous). Detailed documentation of additional articles, reviews, and minor works is limited in public sources, but his scholarship emphasized rigorous textual analysis within cultural and historical contexts of Vaishnava traditions.
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