(Caroline) Mary Ridding, Sanskrit and Pali scholar in ODNB To read this Life of the Day complete with a picture of the subject, visit http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/lotw/2012-08-30 Ridding, (Caroline) Mary (1862-1941), Sanskrit and Pali scholar, was born on 30 August 1862 in Meriden, Warwickshire, the daughter of William Ridding (1830-1900), vicar of Meriden, who had been a notable cricketer, and his wife, Caroline Selina Caldecott. Mary Ridding attended Bishopsgate Training College and in 1883 won a higher local scholarship to Girton College, Cambridge. She was placed in the second division of the second class in part one of the classical tripos, specializing in philology and Sanskrit, in 1886. An extremely erudite scholar, Ridding knew Sanskrit, Pali, and some Bengali and Hindi. One of her first scholarly endeavours was to translate the Sanskrit romance Kadambari (Oriental Translation Fund publications, new ser., 11, 1896). She was particularly interested in Tibet, reviewing Tibetan books for the Journal of Asiatic Studies for many years. An Indian research student wrote of her, 'I had known of Miss Ridding's great reputation as an Orientalist in India, where her translation of the Sanskrit story Bana's Kadambari was justly famous ... She loved India, and her appreciation of its philosophy touched me deeply' (Girton Review). (SNIP) ---- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar