Hankin’s long pursuit was the book Hanklyn-Janklin — a collection of common words of Indian origin in mainstream English, an easy reckoner for foreigners. It was first published in 1992 by Banyan Tree, and though the man himself passed away last November, the book’s popularity compelled a fifth edition recently, published by Tara Press.

The intriguing title draws from British writers Henry Yule and Arthur C Burnell’s book Hobson-Jobson, a glossary of words used in India during the Raj. The authors had widely explored the domain of assimilated words, modyfying and adapting words from Indian languages and canonising them into their own.

In the book’s preface, Hankin writes: “I am neither historian, nor Indologist, but I have been a guest in this country. I have tried to keep my eyes and ears open to what has been going on around me. I like to think I have read fairly widely and have constantly badgered friends...”

The book translates Indian English words in an alphabetical order. The preface also says: “I remember a newly arrived doctor to the British High Commission in Delhi, Sidney Hamilton, gave me a list of some twenty Indian words. So I was able to satisfy the doctor...”

Originally from Sussex, Hankin decided to stay on in India after the second World War ended. He earned a name for his insightful conducted tours of the Capital for foreigners.

Mohammed Usmaan Ansari, his butler for 40 years, said, “He could speak chaste Hindi and loved everything about India. He travelled the country widely. While in the Capital, he would negotiate his Vespa through the impossible traffic, but a few years before his death he had settled for the bus and autorickshaws.” Ansari says he was hired when Hankin lived and worked in the High Commissioner’s house in 1968: “I was paid Rs 2 a day, which was later increased to Rs 300.”