A. L. Basham

Arthur Llewellyn Basham was an Indologist and a professor at London's School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). He was born in 1914 in Essex. His father, who had served in the Indian Army, had told him a lot of stories about India that sparked an interest in him about the country. After obtaining a degree in Sanskrit from SOAS, Basham did a doctorate there and later became a professor at the college. In 1965, he left SOAS to join the Australia National University, where he became the Head of the History Department and also Professor of Oriental Civilizations.