Alain Daniélou

Alain Daniélou (; 4 October 1907 – 27 January 1994) was a French historian, Indologist, intellectual, musicologist, translator, writer and convert to and scholar of the Shaivite branch of Hinduism.

In 1991, he was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, the highest honour conferred by Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy for Music, Dance, and Drama.

Early life and education His mother, Madeleine Clamorgan, was from an old family of the Norman nobility; a devout Roman Catholic,

He received his education at the Institution Notre-Dame de Sainte-Croix, Neuilly-sur-Seine, and at St. John's College, Annapolis.

In 1932, during his first trip to India, he met poet Rabindranath Tagore. He also translated some works of Swami Karpatri, the samnyasin by whom he was initiated into Shaivism under the Hindu name Shiva Sharan ("Protected by Shiva").

In 1953, he joined the Adyar Library and Research Centre at the Theosophical Society Adyar near Madras (now Chennai), where he was the director of a centre of research into Sanskrit literature until 1956. In 1959, he became a member of French Institute of Pondicherry, which works in the field of Indology.

Europe: 1960 onwards Upon his return to Europe in 1960, he was appointed an advisor to the UNESCO's International Music Council, which led to a number of recordings of traditional music such as Unesco Collection: A Musical Anthology of the Orient, Musical Atlas, Musical Sources, and Anthology of Indian Classical Music - A Tribute to Alain Daniélou. In 1963, he became the founder and director of the International Institute for Comparative Music Studies and Documentation (IICMSD) in West Berlin, where he remained till 1977; he was also the director of the Istituto Internazionale di Musica Comparata (IISMC) in Venice from 1969 to 1979.

He worked on Indian classical music. But his more important contribution to Indology is his writings on the ancient wisdom of the Vedas, Hindu philosophy, and Shaivism.

He is the author of over thirty books on Indian music and culture. He received several awards for his work on music. He was also a photographer and artist.

Awards and recognition Daniélou was an Officer of the Légion d'Honneur, an Officer of the Ordre National du Mérite, and Commander of Arts and Letters. He was the director of the UNESCO Collection series, a series of recordings of traditional world music. In 1981, Daniélou received the UNESCO/CIM prize for music, and, in 1987 the Kathmandu Medal from UNESCO.

Legacy In 2004, to mark his tenth death anniversary a photo exhibition, "India through the eyes of Alain Danielou (1935-1955)" was hosted at the Alliance Française, Hyderabad.

Works While the Gods play, Shaiva Oracles and Predictions on the Cycles of History and Destiny of Mankind (, 1985) Gods of Love and Ecstasy, The Tradition of Shiva & Dionysus, Omnipresent Gods of Transcendence The Hindu Temple; Deification of Eroticism Music and the Power of Sound A Brief History of Indiapublished by Inner Traditions The complete Kâma Sûtra The first unabridged translation. Virtue, success, pleasure & liberation: the four aims of life in the tradition of ancient India Ragas of North Indian Classical Music The Way to the Labyrinth: An Autobiography published by New Directions. The Myths and Gods of India, Hindu Polytheism Yoga: the Method of Reintegration Yoga, Mastering the Secrets of Matter and the Universe Fools of God Song-poems - Rabindranath Tagore, Texts in English, French and Bengali & Melodies The Congress of the World With miniatures of tantric cosmology Sacred Music, its Origins, Powers and Future, Traditional Music in Today's World The Situation Of Music And Musicians In The Countries Of The Orient Introduction to The Study of Musical Scales Northern Indian Music: Vol. One, Theory, History and Technique Northern Indian Music: Vol. Two, The Main Ragas The Phallus, Sacred Symbol of Male Creative Power India, a civilization of differences: the ancient tradition of universal tolerance Shiva And The Primordial Tradition: From the Tantras to the Science of Dreams Manimekhalaï, The Dancer With The Magic Bowl Translation by Alain Daniélou Shilappadikâram, The Ankle Bracelet Sacred Music, Its Origins, Powers And Future A Descriptive Catalogue Of Sanskrit Manuscripts in Alain Daniélou's Collection at the Giorgio Cini Foundation

Discography Unesco Collection: A Musical Anthology of the Orient Anthology of Indian Classical Music - A Tribute to Alain Daniélou Musiciens et Danseurs de la caste des Ahirs (1951) Religious Music of India (1952) Musical Atlas Musical Sources (Philips, Holland) Anthology of North Indian Classical Music - (Bärenreiter-Musicaphon, Kassel)

Filmography

2023: Alain Daniélou, l'esprit libre, a documentary by :fr:Joël Farges, Kolam, 77', ISAN 0000-0006-EA8A-0000-F-0000-0000-T. 2017: Alain Daniélou - The Way to the Labyrinth, a documentary by Riccardo Biadene, KAMA Productions.