About Anil

Anil taught Sanskrit for many years at the University of London (over a decade at SOAS, where he was Head of Languages until 2017). He now teaches Sanskrit privately. Anil obtained his doctorate in linguistics from the University of York and is an Honourable Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Linguists. He has advised the UK government on the teaching of South Asian languages in schools and assisted documentary makers on language-related matters.

Anil is probably best known as the creator of an alien language, at the request of Sir Ridley Scott, in Prometheus – a film for which he language-coached Michael Fassbender and in which he makes a cameo appearance as a virtual tutor. He is based in Surrey, where he divides his time between teaching Sanskrit and researching. Anil is the author of First Steps Towards Sanskrit (Routledge, 2021) and is currently gathering material for another publication.