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. Educated at home. Studied in Cracow and Lausanne. 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. Collaborated with Gandhi. During WW II worked in Polish consulate in Bombay. In 1944 founded an Indo-Polish library in Madras. In the 1960s living in Dharamsala helping Tibetan refugees. Visited Poland only twice, in 1960 and 1969. Apparently unmarried.
Publications: Translated the Bhagavadgita (1947), J. Krishnamurti’s books, etc., into Polish.
– 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; Wikipedia (more details in *Polish version).
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