Among the countless rescue stories from the Holocaust, there are those that have gone unrecognized, like the extraordinary story of Kundan Lal Gupta from India. Gupta, who had no prior connection to Europe or the Jewish community, happened to meet a Jewish couple in a hospital in Austria, and that chance encounter changed his life, and more importantly, saved the lives of 14 Jews. His story was recently featured in a BBC article.
In 1938, when Nazi Germany annexed Austria and antisemitism surged, Gupta—then a 45-year-old from Punjab—traveled to Vienna to consult a specialist due to medical issues. At the hospital, he met Lucy and Alfred Wexler, a young Jewish couple who told him about the intensifying persecution of Jews. At that moment, Gupta realized he could not remain indifferent.
According to the BBC, Gupta, a successful businessman in India, devised a bold and creative plan: he would establish companies with the sole purpose of issuing work visas to Austrian Jews—the only legal means of leaving the country at the time. Sometimes he founded actual businesses; other times, he simply invented companies and jobs that did not exist.
To make the ruse seem authentic, Gupta published job advertisements in Austrian newspapers seeking skilled workers willing to relocate to India. A few people responded, and he ensured they received visas and helped them escape. "The entire scheme was conducted in complete secrecy," his grandson, Vini Gupta, told the BBC. Last year, Vini published a book titled Rescue in Vienna about his grandfather. "He didn’t involve British or Indian authorities. Even his own family only learned about it months after he returned home."
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Among those Gupta saved was lawyer Fritz Weiss, who had been forced by the Nazis to sweep the street in front of his home and later went into hiding in a hospital. Gupta offered him a job at "Kundan Agencies"—a company that did not exist—which enabled Weiss to reach India and later immigrate to England. Another was Hans Lusch, a textile worker who responded to one of Gupta’s ads and received a fictitious job at "Kundan Clothing." He was hosted at Gupta’s home in Bhalodhyana, though he struggled to adjust and later moved to Mumbai.
Other Jews who were given a chance to start anew included Alfred Schfrank, a former plywood factory owner; Sigmund Retter, a hardware businessman; and Alfred Wexler, a wood craftsman. All of them were able to escape the Nazis thanks to the daring and compassion of a stranger from a distant land.
Kundan Lal Gupta never sought recognition for his deeds. He died of a heart attack in 1966 at the age of 73, having rarely spoken about that chapter of his life. Only decades later, when Vini's mother shared the story with her son, did a process of discovery begin—one that led to a documentary book and a long-overdue tribute to an unsung hero.