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Scholar, interpreter, arbitrator, citizen: The many lives of Maridas Pillai

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  • Gauri Parasher

    (University of Trier, Germany)

Abstract

This article examines afresh the life and works of the eighteenth-century Indo-French intermediary Maridas Pillai from Pondicherry. He is known primarily for his French translation of the Bhagavatam, the earliest translation of the text in a European language. Yet many aspects of his life remain obscure. Drawing on new sources, the article shows that Maridas was much more than just a translator of the Bhagavatam. He was also a court translator and interpreter in Pondicherry, an arbitrator of individual and group disputes, and a man of letters who mediated knowledge about India for the benefit of French audiences. In studying these neglected dimensions of Maridas Pillai’s activities, the article argues that he was a different kind of intermediary than the well-known dubashes or commercial brokers. Carefully fashioning himself as a bridge between the French government and its Indian subjects, his work focused on mediating non-commercial, cultural, legal and societal knowledge. His life, therefore, reveals hitherto little-known dimensions of the Indo-French encounter.

Suggested Citation

  • Gauri Parasher, 2025. "Scholar, interpreter, arbitrator, citizen: The many lives of Maridas Pillai," The Indian Economic & Social History Review, , vol. 62(2), pages 149-187, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:indeco:v:62:y:2025:i:2:p:149-187
    DOI: 10.1177/00194646251330459
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Curtin,Philip D., 1984. "Cross-Cultural Trade in World History," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521269315, August.
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