By Sudha G Tilak | Delhi | July 13, 2025

It all started with a quiet revelation: “Your nana helped Jewish families escape the Nazis,” Vinay Gupta’s mother once told him. That one line sparked a deep dive into family history, leading Gupta to uncover an incredible, untold story—one of bravery, compassion, and quiet defiance against one of history’s darkest regimes.

His grandfather, Kundanlal, an Indian entrepreneur from Ludhiana, Punjab, had once orchestrated the rescue of several Jewish families from Nazi-controlled Austria. What he did went far beyond kindness. It involved complex planning, personal risk, and unwavering resolve.

From Humble Beginnings to Resistance

Born into modest circumstances, Kundanlal married young and pursued various trades—timber, salt, lab supplies, even matchsticks—eventually becoming a successful businessman. He excelled academically, joined the colonial civil service, but soon quit to support India’s independence movement.

His journey took him to Europe, where he once shared a steamer with future Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and actress Devika Rani. But it was his 1938 trip to Vienna for medical treatment that would define his legacy.

A Mission Takes Root in Vienna

While recovering in a hospital in Vienna, Kundanlal met Jewish patients and learned first-hand about the growing threat of Nazi persecution following Hitler’s annexation of Austria. Rather than turn away, he quietly began a rescue mission.

He offered job letters, set up fictional companies, and created escape routes. These “offers” helped at least five Jewish families secure Indian visas. Kundanlal even built homes and promised work in his businesses to those who escaped.

Among the rescued were:

• Fritz Weiss, a lawyer in hiding, who escaped with a fake job offer from “Kundan Agencies.”
• Alfred Wachsler, a woodworker, who arrived with his pregnant wife after being promised employment and housing.
• Hans Losch, a textile technician, who responded to Kundanlal’s job ad and was offered a role at the fictional “Kundan Cloth Mills.”
• Alfred and Siegfried Schafranek, plywood manufacturers, who later helped build a modern plywood factory in India.
• Siegmund Retter, a machine tools businessman, whom Kundanlal directly approached.

Building a New Life in India

In 1939, the Wachsler and Schafranek families arrived in Ludhiana. They moved into homes Kundanlal had built, launched small industries, and began to rebuild their lives. However, India was no safe haven for long.

When World War II began, the British government ordered the internment of all German nationals—Jewish or not. The rescued families were sent to Purandhar Internment Camp in western India, facing austere conditions despite their innocence.

Eventually, they were released upon securing jobs in cities like Bangalore and Karachi. The Schafraneks later emigrated to Australia, and the Wachsler family moved to the United States in 1948.

Quiet Courage and Enduring Legacy

Despite the immense effort, few of the rescued remained in Ludhiana. Some left due to isolation, cultural differences, or better opportunities elsewhere. Yet, Kundanlal held no resentment.

“My grandfather felt sorry he couldn’t provide a life closer to what they had in Vienna,” Vinay Gupta writes in his family memoir, A Rescue in Vienna. “He never told British or Indian officials about what he was doing. Even his own family found out only after he returned home.”

Kundanlal’s story remained in the shadows until Gupta pieced it together from letters, interviews, and historical records. His research even led him to Alex Wachsler, Alfred’s son, who still cherishes memories of India and speaks fluent Urdu despite living in the U.S. since childhood.

Final Years and Reflection

After the war, Kundanlal returned to education—founding a girls’ school in Ludhiana that still exists today. His wife, Saraswati, suffered from depression and died in 1965; Kundanlal passed away the following year.

His life may not have made headlines, but it made a difference—one life at a time.

As Gupta puts it:
“To Kundanlal, being a passive bystander was never an option. He faced the enormity of injustice not with speeches, but with action.”