{"id":2313,"date":"2021-06-10T20:53:12","date_gmt":"2021-06-10T18:53:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.projekt-mida.de\/?post_type=reflexicon&p=2313"},"modified":"2022-12-08T16:07:31","modified_gmt":"2022-12-08T15:07:31","slug":"herbert-fischer-an-entangled-german-indian-biography","status":"publish","type":"reflexicon","link":"https:\/\/www.projekt-mida.de\/en\/reflexicon\/herbert-fischer-an-entangled-german-indian-biography\/","title":{"rendered":"Herbert Fischer \u2013 An Entangled German Indian Biography"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\"Herbert<\/figure>
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By Alexan\u00adder Benatar
<\/strong>Pub\u00adlished in 2021<\/strong>
DOI<\/span> 10.25360\/01\u20132022-00017<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Image: Her\u00adbert Fis\u00adch\u00ader (1984). DDR-Indi\u00aden: Ein Diplo\u00admat berichtet. Staatsver\u00adlag der DDR<\/span>, Berlin. p. 78.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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This is a trans\u00adlat\u00aded ver\u00adsion of the 2019 MIDA<\/span> Archival Reflex\u00adi\u00adcon entry \u201cHer\u00adbert Fis\u00adch\u00ader \u2013 Eine deutsch-indis\u00adche Ver\u00adflech\u00adtungs\u00adbi\u00adografie<\/a>\u201d. The text was trans\u00adlat\u00aded by Rekha Rajan<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Table of Con\u00adtents
<\/strong>Ear\u00adly Years<\/a> | With Gand\u00adhi<\/a> | In the GDR<\/span><\/a> | Back in the GDR<\/span><\/a> | Sources<\/a> | Bib\u00adli\u00adog\u00adra\u00adphy<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Her\u00adbert Fis\u00adch\u00ader began as an employ\u00adee of the Trade Rep\u00adre\u00adsen\u00adta\u00adtion of the Ger\u00adman Demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic Repub\u00adlic (GDR<\/span>) in New Del\u00adhi, lat\u00ader serv\u00ading as its direc\u00adtor and con\u00adsul-gen\u00ader\u00adal. After the offi\u00adcial recog\u00adni\u00adtion of the coun\u00adtry in Octo\u00adber 1972, he was the first ambas\u00adsador of the GDR<\/span> in India.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her\u00adbert Fischer\u2019s life is close\u00adly inter\u00adwo\u00adven with the emer\u00adgence of inde\u00adpen\u00addent India as well as with the devel\u00adop\u00adment of the GDR<\/span>. Fis\u00adch\u00ader had already spent a decade in India before the Sec\u00adond World War, had lived with Gand\u00adhi and as a Ger\u00adman, he had been interned dur\u00ading the war by the British colo\u00adnial rulers in India. After the war end\u00aded, he returned to his home in Sax\u00adony in Ger\u00admany, which was now part of the Sovi\u00adet-occu\u00adpied zone and was soon to become a part of the GDR<\/span>. Via cir\u00adcuitous routes, he arrived at and became part of the Min\u00adistry for Exter\u00adnal Affairs and soon advanced to become the India-expert of the ear\u00adly GDR<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Early Years<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Born in 1914 in Her\u00adrn\u00adhut, Sax\u00adony, Her\u00adbert Fis\u00adch\u00ader decid\u00aded to leave Ger\u00admany as a young man in 1933, when the Nation\u00adal Social\u00adists came to pow\u00ader. At the time he was liv\u00ading near the Baltic Sea with a group of fol\u00adlow\u00aders of the Leben\u00adsre\u00adform<\/em> move\u00adment. There he met, among oth\u00aders, Klaus Mann, the son of Thomas Mann, who had just returned from a trip to the Sovi\u00adet Union and was dis\u00adil\u00adlu\u00adsioned with his impres\u00adsions of life there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fis\u00adch\u00ader had already heard about Mohan\u00addas Gand\u00adhi, the \u201cMahat\u00adma\u201d, and his non-vio\u00adlent resis\u00adtance to British colo\u00adnial rule. The 19-year old Fis\u00adch\u00ader was enthused by this and decid\u00aded to trav\u00adel to India. After an adven\u00adtur\u00adous jour\u00adney through France, Spain, the Balka\u00adns, and Turkey, some of it on a bicy\u00adcle, he reached the port of Bom\u00adbay in 1936. In Bom\u00adbay he board\u00aded a train for Ward\u00adha, the rur\u00adal place in Cen\u00adtral India, where Gand\u00adhi had set up his ashram \u2013 the base for his coun\u00adtry\u00adwide work, where the Indi\u00adan Nation\u00adal Con\u00adgress also held its meetings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>With Gandhi<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In Ward\u00adha, Fis\u00adch\u00ader saw Gand\u00adhi every day, spoke to him per\u00adson\u00adal\u00adly and was fas\u00adci\u00adnat\u00aded: \u201cI had nev\u00ader expe\u00adri\u00adenced such ven\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion for a liv\u00ading per\u00adson. I couldn\u2019t help think\u00ading of sim\u00adi\u00adlar sto\u00adries in the New Tes\u00adta\u00adment.\u201d And:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c<\/span>Gand\u00adhi was always emphat\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly and con\u00adscious\u00adly mod\u00adest, had an open ear for all ques\u00adtions, even if they only con\u00adcerned tri\u00adfling mat\u00adters, was a car\u00ading father to all and did not dis\u00adplay any desire for pow\u00ader. That was what made him pop\u00adu\u00adlar, that was what made him effec\u00adtive. I could observe and expe\u00adri\u00adence this myself every day. This is what made him Bapu, father. He was also Bapu for me. I felt he was a father. To an Amer\u00adi\u00adcan mis\u00adsion\u00adary who vis\u00adit\u00aded him he appeared to be a com\u00adbi\u00adna\u00adtion of Jesus Christ and his own father. Even today, I believe that I could talk to him more deeply than to my own father.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

This is what Fis\u00adch\u00ader wrote in his mem\u00adoirs Unter\u00adwegs zu GANDHI<\/span><\/em> in 2002, 65 years lat\u00ader (p.77f.).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Gand\u00adhi and Fis\u00adch\u00ader had in com\u00admon was their paci\u00adfism. In 1937, Fisher\u2019s jack\u00adet was stolen along with his Ger\u00adman pass\u00adport. When the Ger\u00adman Con\u00adsulate Gen\u00ader\u00adal in Bom\u00adbay informed him that his pass\u00adport would only be replaced if he returned to Ger\u00admany to serve his time in the mil\u00adi\u00adtary, Fis\u00adch\u00ader refused and thus accept\u00aded his denaturalization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gand\u00adhi assigned Fis\u00adch\u00ader the task to set up agri\u00adcul\u00adtur\u00adal coop\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtives in near\u00adby Itar\u00adsi and to help in the run\u00adning of a hos\u00adpi\u00adtal. Jawa\u00adhar\u00adlal Nehru, who was lat\u00ader the first prime min\u00adis\u00adter of inde\u00adpen\u00addent India, often vis\u00adit\u00aded Fis\u00adch\u00ader at this rail\u00adway junc\u00adtion. Fis\u00adch\u00ader became a mem\u00adber of a local Quak\u00ader com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty and met his future wife Lucille Sibouy there, a Jamaican-born nurse with Indi\u00adan roots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the Sec\u00adond World War broke out in 1939, Her\u00adbert Fis\u00adch\u00ader was interned by the British colo\u00adnial rulers as a cit\u00adi\u00adzen of an ene\u00admy state. His wife fol\u00adlowed him with their first son Karl in ear\u00adly 1940. Along with oth\u00ader Ger\u00admans, they were kept in dif\u00adfer\u00adent camps, in some of which Fis\u00adch\u00ader was some\u00adtimes allowed to vis\u00adit Gandhi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>In the GDR<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After the war end\u00aded, Her\u00adbert Fis\u00adch\u00ader and his fam\u00adi\u00adly returned home, which was now in the Sovi\u00adet-occu\u00adpied zone, lat\u00ader on the GDR<\/span>. Fis\u00adch\u00ader had not received a reg\u00adu\u00adlar edu\u00adca\u00adtion after com\u00adplet\u00ading school, and had trou\u00adble estab\u00adlish\u00ading him\u00adself in post-war Ger\u00admany. In the GDR<\/span>, he first found a job as a teacher and lat\u00ader in school admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion. Through lec\u00adtures about his time with Gand\u00adhi, which he gave in his spare time, he came to the atten\u00adtion of the new\u00adly found\u00aded Min\u00adistry of Exter\u00adnal Affairs (MfAA) of the GDR<\/span>, which was des\u00adper\u00adate\u00adly look\u00ading for suit\u00adable staff with\u00adout a nation\u00adal-social\u00adist past. In Sep\u00adtem\u00adber 1956, Fis\u00adch\u00ader began to work in the min\u00adistry and soon head\u00aded the India divi\u00adsion. In Jan\u00adu\u00adary 1958, he was trans\u00adferred to India as deputy direc\u00adtor of the GDR<\/span>\u2019s Trade Representation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The diplo\u00admats of the Fed\u00ader\u00adal Repub\u00adlic of Ger\u00admany (FRG<\/span>) looked at this new, sup\u00adposed \u201csecret weapon\u201d from East Berlin with sus\u00adpi\u00adcion. Thus, in Octo\u00adber 1959, a report on \u201cSovi\u00adet-zone pro\u00adpa\u00adgan\u00adda in India on the occa\u00adsion of the 10-year jubilee of the so-called GDR<\/span>\u201d sent to the head\u00adquar\u00adters in Bonn, stated:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c<\/span>Thanks to the skil\u00adful and charm\u00ading man\u00adner dis\u00adplayed by Mr. Fis\u00adch\u00ader, who speaks per\u00adfect Hin\u00addi and who greet\u00aded every jour\u00adnal\u00adist who entered with a hand\u00adshake, there was a friend\u00adly atmos\u00adphere dur\u00ading the event.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The West Ger\u00admans were afraid of Mr. Fischer\u2019s exper\u00adtise of the coun\u00adtry and he could, in fact, part\u00adly draw on his old pre-war con\u00adtacts. This was, how\u00adev\u00ader, not always received well in East Berlin. When Mr. Fis\u00adch\u00ader and his wife vis\u00adit\u00aded their old acquain\u00adtance Rajku\u00admari Amrit Kaur, the first health min\u00adis\u00adter of inde\u00adpen\u00addent India, they hap\u00adpened to meet an Amer\u00adi\u00adcan jour\u00adnal\u00adist there who, among oth\u00aders, quick\u00adly began ask\u00ading unpleas\u00adant ques\u00adtions about the events of 17 June 1953, which he had wit\u00adnessed in Berlin. When Fis\u00adch\u00ader report\u00aded on this, the MfAA in Berlin react\u00aded sharply: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c<\/span>I would like to remind you that before your depar\u00adture, col\u00adleague Schwab had express\u00adly indi\u00adcat\u00aded that old acquain\u00adtances should not be renewed, or only after pri\u00ador examination.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

It was not only the West Ger\u00adman Hall\u00adstein-Doc\u00adtrine but also his own supe\u00adri\u00adors who put curbs on Her\u00adbert Fischer\u2019s diplo\u00admat\u00adic work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Sep\u00adtem\u00adber 1962 Fis\u00adch\u00ader returned to East Berlin with his fam\u00adi\u00adly to first attend the Par\u00adty Acad\u00ade\u00admy of the GDR<\/span> and to then head the India divi\u00adsion in the head\u00adquar\u00adters of the MfAA. In August 1965 he was again trans\u00adferred to India, this time as the head of the Trade Rep\u00adre\u00adsen\u00adta\u00adtion in New Delhi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the mean\u00adtime, he had not lost his aura. In Novem\u00adber 1965, a West Ger\u00adman diplo\u00admat wrote in a report to the head\u00adquar\u00adters of the AA<\/span> in Bonn: \u201cGiv\u00aden Fischer\u2019s spe\u00adcial knowl\u00adedge of the coun\u00adtry and his polit\u00adi\u00adcal expe\u00adri\u00adence, it will not be easy to find some\u00adone on our side with a sim\u00adi\u00adlar knowl\u00adedge of the coun\u00adtry.\u201d In par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar, Fischer\u2019s good rela\u00adtions with the Indi\u00adan prime min\u00adis\u00adter, Indi\u00adra Gand\u00adhi, were lat\u00ader empha\u00adsized again and again. These con\u00adnec\u00adtions had arisen from the fact that both had been in Gandhi\u2019s ashram at the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the par\u00adty lead\u00ader\u00adship of the SED<\/span> (Sozial\u00adis\u00adtis\u00adche Ein\u00adheitspartei Deutsch\u00adlands<\/em>), how\u00adev\u00ader, oth\u00ader things were more impor\u00adtant, as can be seen from a report from the end of 1966:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c<\/span>There is a trend in the Rep\u00adre\u00adsen\u00adta\u00adtion for many com\u00adrades to crit\u00adi\u00adcise the head of the Rep\u00adre\u00adsen\u00adta\u00adtion, Com\u00adrade Fis\u00adch\u00ader. They all state that he is an excep\u00adtion\u00adal\u00adly good diplo\u00admat who does good work vis-\u00e0-vis the Indi\u00adan side. The com\u00adplaint then is that Com\u00adrade Fis\u00adch\u00ader does not pay enough atten\u00adtion to indi\u00advid\u00adual comrades.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Back in the GDR<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Soon after India offi\u00adcial\u00adly recog\u00adnised the GDR<\/span> in Octo\u00adber 1972, a goal that had been achieved through Her\u00adbert Fischer\u2019s ded\u00adi\u00adca\u00adtion and effort, the MfAA pulled him out of his sec\u00adond home. In sum\u00admer 1974, he was appoint\u00aded head of the anti-racism com\u00admit\u00adtee of the GDR<\/span>, which had pure\u00adly rep\u00adre\u00adsen\u00adta\u00adtive func\u00adtions. Dis\u00adil\u00adlu\u00adsioned, he gave up this post to work as a men\u00adtor to Indi\u00adan stu\u00addents in the SED-par\u00adty acad\u00ade\u00admy until his retirement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lat\u00ader too, he remained faith\u00adful to India and pub\u00adlished books which he pre\u00adsent\u00aded there. In March 1999, his wife Lucille died after a long ill\u00adness. In May 2003, the then prime min\u00adis\u00adter of India, Atal Bihari Vaj\u00adpay\u00adee, award\u00aded Her\u00adbert Fis\u00adch\u00ader the \u201cPad\u00adma Bhushan\u201d, the third-high\u00adest civil\u00adian award in India. Her\u00adbert Fis\u00adch\u00ader died on 3 Feb\u00adru\u00adary, 2006 in Berlin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Sources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Research\u00ading a fas\u00adci\u00adnat\u00ading biog\u00adra\u00adphy is a com\u00adpar\u00ada\u00adtive\u00adly reward\u00ading his\u00adtor\u00adi\u00adcal task. To search for a spe\u00adcif\u00adic name usu\u00adal\u00adly turns out to be sig\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcant\u00adly eas\u00adi\u00ader than the search for abstract terms and con\u00adtexts, which can only be described when a log\u00adi\u00adcal thread has been estab\u00adlished. The chal\u00adlenge is con\u00adsid\u00ader\u00adably less\u00ader when describ\u00ading the course of a life, espe\u00adcial\u00adly when the pro\u00adtag\u00ado\u00adnist has himself\/herself left some records of his\/her life. And Her\u00adbert Fis\u00adch\u00ader was not only a Gand\u00adhi\u00adan and an impor\u00adtant GDR-diplo\u00admat, he was also a pro\u00adlif\u00adic writer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her\u00adbert Fischer\u2019s own pub\u00adli\u00adca\u00adtions are there\u00adfore the start\u00ading point for research on him, above all his mem\u00adoirs from his youth and exile in India Unter\u00adwegs zu GANDHI<\/span><\/em> [Berlin, Lotos Ver\u00adlag Roland Beer, 2002] as also his work as a diplo\u00admat DDR<\/span> \u2013 Indi\u00aden. Ein Diplo\u00admat berichtet<\/em> [Berlin (Ost): Staatsver\u00adlag der DDR<\/span>, 1984]. Both books are an impor\u00adtant foun\u00adda\u00adtion for writ\u00ading Fischer\u2019s biog\u00adra\u00adphy, and they can be sup\u00adple\u00adment\u00aded and ver\u00adi\u00adfied by access\u00ading pri\u00adma\u00adry sources. Thus, for exam\u00adple, in the Polit\u00adi\u00adcal Archive of the Fed\u00ader\u00adal For\u00adeign Office (Poli\u00adtis\u00adches Archiv des Ausw\u00e4r\u00adti\u00adgen Amtes<\/em> \/ PA<\/span> AA<\/span>), in the hold\u00ading of the For\u00adeign Office of the Ger\u00adman Reich, there is a file with the sig\u00adna\u00adture R 145638 and the title \u201cInves\u00adti\u00adga\u00adtion of Ger\u00admans in Ene\u00admy Ter\u00adri\u00adto\u00adry \u2013 Indi\u00advid\u00adual Cas\u00ades \u2013 British India \u2013 Let\u00adters FA-FL<\/span>\u201d (Nach\u00adforschun\u00adgen nach Deutschen in Fein\u00addes\u00adland \u2013 Einzelf\u00e4lle \u2013 Brit. Indi\u00aden \u2013 Buchst. Fa \u2013 Fl<\/em>) which con\u00adtains a peti\u00adtion from Her\u00adbert Fischer\u2019s father enquir\u00ading about his son\u2019s whereabouts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unex\u00adpect\u00aded insights about Fischer\u2019s time in Indi\u00adan exile are also avail\u00adable in the Nehru Memo\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal Muse\u00adum and Library\u2019s (NMML<\/span>) \u201cOral His\u00adto\u00adry Inter\u00adview\u201d with Fis\u00adch\u00ader, in which the Indi\u00adan his\u00adto\u00adri\u00adan Aparna Basu tried to cap\u00adture the per\u00adson\u00adal impres\u00adsions of Mahat\u00adma Gandhi\u2019s fel\u00adlow cam\u00adpaign\u00ader in 1969. Apart from this, there is also the book by Mar\u00adjorie Sykes An Indi\u00adan Tapes\u00adtry: Quak\u00ader Threads in the His\u00adto\u00adry of India, Pak\u00adistan and Bangladesh from the Sev\u00aden\u00adteenth Cen\u00adtu\u00adry to Inde\u00adpen\u00addence<\/em> [York: Ses\u00adsions Book Trust, 1997] on the role of Quak\u00ader com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adties in colo\u00adnial India which also con\u00adsists of a few pages on Her\u00adbert Fis\u00adch\u00ader and his wife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although Johannes H. Voigt\u2019s Die Indi\u00aden\u00adpoli\u00adtik der DDR<\/span> \u2013 von den Anf\u00e4n\u00adgen bis zur Anerken\u00adnung (1952\u20131972)<\/em> [K\u04e7ln\/Weimar\/Wien: B\u04e7h\u00adlau Ver\u00adlag, 2008] con\u00adtains some impor\u00adtant infor\u00adma\u00adtion about Her\u00adbert Fischer\u2019s role as a GDR<\/span> diplo\u00admat in New Del\u00adhi, an analy\u00adsis of Fischer\u2019s \u201csec\u00adond life\u201d in India is not pos\u00adsi\u00adble with\u00adout exten\u00adsive research in Ger\u00adman archives. These include the PA<\/span> AA<\/span> in Berlin and the Fed\u00ader\u00adal Archives (Bun\u00adde\u00adsarchiv \/BArch) with its loca\u00adtions in Berlin and Koblenz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the peri\u00adod until 1979, the archival hold\u00adings of the MfAA in the PA<\/span> AA<\/span> are organ\u00adised the\u00admat\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly accord\u00ading to the prin\u00adci\u00adple of per\u00adti\u00adnence. Cor\u00adre\u00adspon\u00addence between the head\u00adquar\u00adters of the MfAA in East Berlin and the GDR<\/span> Rep\u00adre\u00adsen\u00adta\u00adtion in New Del\u00adhi, which often con\u00adtains ref\u00ader\u00adences to Her\u00adbert Fis\u00adch\u00ader, are found in the PA<\/span> AA<\/span> in the hold\u00ading \u201cM1<\/span> \u2013 Zen\u00adtralarchiv\u201d. In addi\u00adtion, the assess\u00adments of the \u201coppos\u00ading side\u201d are also infor\u00adma\u00adtive. The West Ger\u00adman AA<\/span> organ\u00adised its archival doc\u00adu\u00adments from the begin\u00adning accord\u00ading to the prin\u00adci\u00adple of prove\u00adnance. The files of the coun\u00adtry desk \u201cIB<\/span> 5 South and East Asia, Aus\u00adtralia, New Zealand and Ocea\u00adnia\u201d are in the inven\u00adto\u00adry B 37 but have not yet been ful\u00adly cat\u00ada\u00adlogued by the PA<\/span> AA<\/span>. Thus, archival doc\u00adu\u00adments for the peri\u00adod since 1973 are, at present, in a tem\u00adpo\u00adrary archive. More\u00adover, rel\u00ade\u00advant files from the FRG<\/span> embassy in New Del\u00adhi are in the hold\u00ading AV<\/span> Neues Amt<\/em> under the abbre\u00advi\u00ada\u00adtion NEWD<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Fed\u00ader\u00adal Archives (BArch) the SED-reports on Her\u00adbert Fischer\u2019s work for the Par\u00adty in New Del\u00adhi in the hold\u00ading DY<\/span> 30 are reveal\u00ading, and for Fischer\u2019s role in the GDR<\/span> after he was recalled from his post as ambas\u00adsador to India the pri\u00advate col\u00adlec\u00adtions of his friend and col\u00adleague Siegfried For\u00adberg\u00ader in the inven\u00adto\u00adry N 2536\/13 are infor\u00adma\u00adtive. For\u00adberg\u00ader not only pub\u00adlished his own mem\u00adoirs: Das DDR-Komi\u00adtee f\u00fcr Men\u00adschen\u00adrechte: Erin\u00adnerun\u00adgen an den Sozial\u00adis\u00admus-Ver\u00adsuch im 20. Jahrhun\u00addert; Ein\u00adsicht\u00aden und Irrt\u00fcmer des Siegfried For\u00adberg\u00ader, Sekret\u00e4r des DDR-Komi\u00adtees f\u00fcr Men\u00adschen\u00adrechte von 1959 bis 1989<\/em> [Berlin: Selb\u00adstver\u00adlag, 2000\/2007], but he also remained in con\u00adtact with Her\u00adbert Fis\u00adch\u00ader until Fischer\u2019s death. Forberger\u2019s col\u00adlec\u00adtions include sev\u00ader\u00adal let\u00adters and post\u00adcards that Fis\u00adch\u00ader and he wrote to each oth\u00ader even after the turn of the mil\u00adlen\u00adni\u00adum, as well as Her\u00adbert Fischer\u2019s obit\u00adu\u00adary of 2006. This obit\u00adu\u00adary lists the names of his fam\u00adi\u00adly mem\u00adbers as well as the most impor\u00adtant mile\u00adstones of his biog\u00adra\u00adphy. So far, there are no Her\u00adbert Fis\u00adch\u00ader col\u00adlec\u00adtions in the archive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Bibliography<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Fis\u00adch\u00ader, Her\u00adbert, Unter\u00adwegs zu GANDHI<\/span><\/em>. Berlin: Lotos Ver\u00adlag Roland Beer, 2002.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014\u2014\u2013, DDR<\/span> \u2013 Indi\u00aden. Ein Diplo\u00admat berichtet<\/em>. Berlin (Ost): Staatsver\u00adlag der DDR<\/span>, 1984.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For\u00adberg\u00ader, Siegfried, Das DDR-Komi\u00adtee f\u00fcr Men\u00adschen\u00adrechte: Erin\u00adnerun\u00adgen an den Sozial\u00adis\u00admus-Ver\u00adsuch im 20. Jahrhun\u00addert; Ein\u00adsicht\u00aden und Irrt\u00fcmer des Siegfried For\u00adberg\u00ader, Sekret\u00e4r des DDR-Komi\u00adtees f\u00fcr Men\u00adschen\u00adrechte von 1959 bis 1989<\/em>. Berlin: Selb\u00adstver\u00adlag, 2000\/2007.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sykes, Mar\u00adjorie, An Indi\u00adan Tapes\u00adtry: Quak\u00ader Threads in the His\u00adto\u00adry of India, Pak\u00adistan &<\/span> Bangladesh from the Sev\u00aden\u00adteenth Cen\u00adtu\u00adry to Inde\u00adpen\u00addence<\/em>. York: Ses\u00adsions Book Trust, 1997.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Voigt, Johannes H., Die Indi\u00aden\u00adpoli\u00adtik der DDR<\/span> \u2013 von den Anf\u00e4n\u00adgen bis zur Anerken\u00adnung (1952\u20131972)<\/em>. K\u00f6ln\/Weimar\/Wien: B\u00f6h\u00adlau Ver\u00adlag, 2008.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alexan\u00adder Benatar, Evan\u00adge\u00adlis\u00adche Zen\u00adtral\u00adstelle f\u00fcr Weltan\u00adschau\u00adungs\u00adfra\u00adgen (EZW<\/span>)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

MIDA<\/span> Archival Reflex\u00adi\u00adcon<\/strong>

Edi\u00adtors: Anan\u00addi\u00adta Baj\u00adpai, Heike Liebau<\/strong>
Lay\u00adout: Mon\u00adja Hof\u00admann, Nico Putz<\/strong>
Host: ZMO<\/span>, Kirch\u00adweg 33, 14129 Berlin<\/strong>
Con\u00adtact: archival.reflexicon [at] zmo.de<\/strong>

ISSN<\/span> 2628\u20135029<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":2323,"template":"","categories":[54],"tags":[106,105,84],"class_list":["post-2313","reflexicon","type-reflexicon","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reflexicon","tag-biography","tag-history-of-indo-gdr-relations","tag-political-history"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHerbert Fischer \u2013 An Entangled German Indian Biography - MIDA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Alexander Benatar explores the biography of Herbert Fischers, the GDR's first embassador to India, with a particular focus on his time in India.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.projekt-mida.de\/en\/reflexicon\/herbert-fischer-an-entangled-german-indian-biography\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Herbert Fischer \u2013 An Entangled German Indian Biography - MIDA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Alexander Benatar explores the biography of Herbert Fischers, the GDR's first embassador to India, with a particular focus on his time in India.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.projekt-mida.de\/en\/reflexicon\/herbert-fischer-an-entangled-german-indian-biography\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"MIDA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-12-08T15:07:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.projekt-mida.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/K1024_DSC06634_EngAltText.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"973\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"14 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.projekt-mida.de\\\/en\\\/reflexicon\\\/herbert-fischer-an-entangled-german-indian-biography\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.projekt-mida.de\\\/en\\\/reflexicon\\\/herbert-fischer-an-entangled-german-indian-biography\\\/\",\"name\":\"Herbert Fischer \u2013 An Entangled German Indian Biography - MIDA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.projekt-mida.de\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.projekt-mida.de\\\/en\\\/reflexicon\\\/herbert-fischer-an-entangled-german-indian-biography\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.projekt-mida.de\\\/en\\\/reflexicon\\\/herbert-fischer-an-entangled-german-indian-biography\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.projekt-mida.de\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/K1024_DSC06634_EngAltText.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-06-10T18:53:12+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-12-08T15:07:31+00:00\",\"description\":\"Alexander Benatar explores the biography of Herbert Fischers, the GDR's first embassador to India, with a particular focus on his time in India.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.projekt-mida.de\\\/en\\\/reflexicon\\\/herbert-fischer-an-entangled-german-indian-biography\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.projekt-mida.de\\\/en\\\/reflexicon\\\/herbert-fischer-an-entangled-german-indian-biography\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.projekt-mida.de\\\/en\\\/reflexicon\\\/herbert-fischer-an-entangled-german-indian-biography\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.projekt-mida.de\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/K1024_DSC06634_EngAltText.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.projekt-mida.de\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/K1024_DSC06634_EngAltText.jpg\",\"width\":973,\"height\":768,\"caption\":\"Herbert Fischer (1984). 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