German-Indo Society

The German-Indo Society (Deutsch-Indische Gesellschaft DIG e.V. – German-Indian Society) is a German voluntary association and non-governmental organisation dedicated to fostering relations between India and Germany. Its headquarters are in Stuttgart, and it has been active in its present form since November 1953, when it was re-established following the dissolution of an earlier wartime organisation. The society describes itself as a platform for networking and cooperation, offering the German public a differentiated picture of India's culture, society, politics and economy in both past and present. The organisation operates through a federal structure: the central society in Stuttgart and a network of local chapters (Zweiggesellschaften) across Germany. According to its official website, it works with 26 local chapters, while its Wikipedia article states that 25 chapters with roughly 1,450 members belong to the society. Chapters exist in cities including Aachen, Berlin, Bochum, Bonn, Darmstadt-Frankfurt, Düsseldorf, Essen, Freiburg, Hagen, Hamburg, Hannover, Heidelberg, Karlsruhe, Kassel, Kiel, Koblenz, Köln, Lübeck, Mainz, Münster, Nürnberg, Schwäbisch Hall, Stuttgart, Trier and Winsen/Luhe. Each chapter is registered as an independent eingetragener Verein and enjoys a high degree of autonomy, organising lectures, seminars, dance and music performances, and forums for personal contact around Indian and German festivals. The society is led by a board (Vorstand) elected every three years by delegates of the local chapters, supported by an advisory council (Beirat) and a federal office (Bundesgeschäftsstelle) in Stuttgart that coordinates activities, handles public relations and works with business associations and organisations. It maintains relations with Indo-German Societies in India and seeks dialogue with decision-makers and organisations in both countries. Its activities span culture, politics, business and society, including shaping coexistence with people of Indian descent in Germany. As a non-governmental organisation, the society positions itself as free from the rigid constraints of official politics while remaining in close contact with it. It organises events and projects of various kinds, including the Indientage (India Days), a recurring gathering of German-Indo societies from across Germany; the 2026 edition is scheduled to take place in Trier from 25 to 27 September 2026 at the invitation of the Trier chapter. The society also publishes and communicates through its quarterly magazine tradition: the quarterly journal Indo-Asia served as the organ of the DIG from 1959 to 1998, focusing on political developments in India and other countries of South and Southeast Asia. The German-Indo Society is a membership-based organisation rather than a commercial enterprise, but it functions as an institutional brand in the German-Indian relations space, with a registered name, a website, a magazine heritage and a nationwide chapter network. Its mission is to promote exchange between India and Germany, and it invites members of the public to join and support that mission.

The history of the German-Indo Society begins during the Second World War. On 11 September 1942, the Deutsch-Indische Gesellschaft was founded in Hamburg as an eingetragener Verein. The founding assembly took place in the Hotel Atlantic in the presence of high-ranking representatives of the Foreign Office, the city of Hamburg, the Wehrmacht, business and academia. The political character of this founding was obvious. Subhash Chandra Bose, one of the central figures of the Indian independence movement and a major opponent of Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi, attended as a prominent guest and keynote speaker. Bose, who sought to fight British colonial rule by military means and tried to forge an alliance with Hitler's German government, stayed in Germany from April 1941 to February 1943, though his efforts remained unsuccessful. The leadership of the society lay exclusively in German hands. Carl Vincent Krogmann, initially First Mayor and later head of the municipal administration of Hamburg and a convinced National Socialist, was elected as its first chairman. The society's activities were limited to Hamburg and its surroundings under the direction of the Foreign Office. In 1951, the Hamburg district court revoked the society's legal capacity. The re-establishment followed two years later, in November 1953. The Hamburg Indologist Ludwig Alsdorf, who had been among S. C. Bose's advisers, took over the office of chairman. Earlier, on 5 June 1953, the Deutsch-Indische Studiengesellschaft had been registered as an association in Stuttgart under the chairmanship of Adalbert Seifriz, Wilhelm Lutz and Georg Heine — Seifriz and Lutz had belonged to the 'Indische Legion' of the German Wehrmacht as adjutant and captain respectively. Its name was changed to Deutsch-Indische Gesellschaft e.V. on 12 August 1958. In the years that followed, thanks to support from the Baden-Württemberg state government and the federal government, so-called Zweiggesellschaften (local chapters) formed in many cities of the Federal Republic of Germany under the umbrella of this society. Today, chapters exist in Aachen, Berlin, Bochum, Bodensee, Bonn, Darmstadt-Frankfurt, Düsseldorf, Essen, Freiburg, Hagen, Hamburg, Hannover, Heidelberg, Karlsruhe, Kassel, Kiel, Koblenz, Köln, Lübeck, Mainz, Miesbach/Oberbayern, Münster, Nürnberg, Schwäbisch Hall, Stuttgart, Trier and Winsen/Luhe. The society's tasks and goals were further defined over time. A further name change to Deutsch-Indische Gesellschaft DIG e.V. – German-Indian Society occurred in October 1973. The society sees its general task in cultivating relations between India and Germany. It understands itself as a societal intermediary organisation aiming to shape relations between Germany and India through diverse activities, including the many connections between Germans and Indians living in Germany. As a non-governmental organisation, it is free from the sometimes rigid limitations of official politics, although it remains in close contact with it. It is active in society, organises events and projects of various kinds, and seeks to cultivate and deepen dialogue with decision-makers and organisations in India and Germany. It also maintains relations with the Indo-German Societies in India. The DIG e.V. aims to convey to the German public a differentiated picture of India in history and the present, covering both culture and society as well as politics and economy. According to its statutes, the society is divided into the society itself, with its seat in Stuttgart, and its local chapters. It is represented by a board elected every three years by delegates of the local chapters. The advisory council advises and supports the board and the local chapters in their work. A federal office in Stuttgart handles the ongoing business of the society, supports and coordinates the activities of the local chapters, conducts public relations work and cooperates with associations and organisations of the business community. The society currently has 25 local chapters with nearly 1,450 members throughout Germany. Through their local activities, they contribute decisively to the cultivation of German-Indian relations and the transmission of Indian cultural heritage in Germany. The individual chapters possess a high degree of independence and are registered as eingetragener Verein. The individual local chapters organise lectures and seminars on various topics of Indian society according to the composition of their members, and organise Indian dance and music performances. They offer a forum for personal contacts at joint events, including on the occasion of Indian and German holidays. Cooperation with Indian associations in Germany is also among the tasks of the local chapters. The quarterly journal Indo-Asia served as the organ of the Deutsch-Indische Gesellschaft DIG e.V. from 1959 to 1998, focusing on current political developments in India but also in other countries of South and Southeast Asia.

• Deutsch-Indische Gesellschaft founded in Hamburg as an eingetragener Verein; Subhash Chandra Bose attends as prominent guest and keynote speaker.

• The Hamburg district court revokes the society's legal capacity.

• Deutsch-Indische Studiengesellschaft registered as an association in Stuttgart under Adalbert Seifriz, Wilhelm Lutz and Georg Heine.

• Re-establishment of the society; Hamburg Indologist Ludwig Alsdorf becomes chairman.

• Name changed to Deutsch-Indische Gesellschaft e.V.

• Quarterly journal Indo-Asia begins publication as the organ of the society (until 1998).

• Further name change to Deutsch-Indische Gesellschaft DIG e.V. – German-Indian Society.

• Indientage 2026 held in Trier from 25 to 27 September, hosted by the Trier local chapter.

A non-governmental, membership-based intermediary organisation promoting German-Indian relations through culture, politics, business and society, operating independently of official politics while maintaining close contact with it.

• Membership

  Membership in the German-Indo Society, supporting its mission of promoting exchange between India and Germany.

• Local chapter events

  Lectures, seminars, dance and music performances, and forums for personal contacts organised by local chapters.

• Indientage (India Days)

  A recurring gathering of German-Indo societies from across Germany; the 2026 edition is in Trier.

• Indo-Asia quarterly journal

  Historical organ of the society published from 1959 to 1998, focusing on political developments in India and South/Southeast Asia.

1. 1Deutsch-Indische Gesellschaft e.V. - Ihre Plattform für deutsch-indische Beziehungendig-ev.de
2. 2German-Indo Societywikidata.org
3. 3Deutsch-Indische Gesellschaftde.wikipedia.org