DYNOWSKA, Wanda (Umādevī). St.Petersburg 30.6.1888 — Mysore 20.3.1971. Polish Theosophist in India. Born in Russia in a family of Polish nobility, daughter of Eustachy Dynowski and Helena Sokołowska. Grew up mainly in the family estate in present-day Latvia, educated at home. Studied in Cracow and Lausanne, during WW I in Russia with her mother. In 1919 adopted theosophy and became in 1921 the general secretary of Polish Theosophical Society. In 1935 attended a theosophical congress in Adyar and decided to stay in India, later took Indian citizeship. Stayed mainly in Adyar. Collaborated with Gandhi, who gave her the Indian name. In 1939 she decided to return and came as far as Romania, but because of war could not proceed to Poland and returned to India. During WW II worked in Polish consulate in Bombay. In 1944 founded with her friend —> M. Frydman an Indo-Polish library in Madras. From 1960 living in Dharamsala helping Tibetan refugees. Visited Poland only twice, in 1960 and 1969. Apparently unmarried.
Publications: Translated into Polish Theosophical books in the 1920s, later the Bhagavadgita (1947), Tirukkural, books of J. Krishnamurti, Ramana Maharshi, Shri Aurobindo, Vivekananda, Gandhi and Tagore, also Indian poetry, etc.
– Translated Polish poetry into English, Hindi and Tamil, also wrote poems herself.
Sources: E. Dębicka-Borek, ”W.D.’s Papers about India”, Cracow Indological Studies 20:2, 2018, 89-144 (with references to sources in Polish); *K. Tokarski, “W.D.-Umadevi: A Biographical Essay”, Theosophical History 5:3, 1994, 89-105; instytutpolski.pl with photo; Wikipedia (more details in *Polish version).
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