India, June 15 -- During World War II (1939 to 1945), a number of Jews fleeing Nazi persecution in Europe found refuge in Bombay, and enriched the city's culture and its arts. Musician Walter Kaufmann influenced Indian musicology, Austrian dancer Hilde Holger (later Boman-Behram) established the School of Art for Modern Movement in Fort and Rudolf von Leyden became a prominent art promoter, especially of the Ganjifa cards.

In this mix were Simon Lifschutz and his wife Hanna, a Polish-Jewish refugee couple who established the city's foremost glass and ceramic studio in Kemps Corner. They introduced Mumbai's artists to glass mosaics and painted ceramics, making a significant impact on the art and design scene in Mumbai then. Yet, Lifschutz...