Languages come with their own stories, if you know where to look. The story of Dakhni, spoken across much of the Deccan, is intimately linked to the story of the medieval Deccan itself - its history, its power struggles, and its peoples. Dakhni came to represent a uniquely Deccan culture, with a courtly literary tradition that drew from Sanskritic traditions as well as the Persianate world, and a spoken form in the public sphere thoroughly influenced by local Dravidian languages. In this session we will explore these various influences and forces that have shaped Dakhni.