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Krzysztof Iwanek Profile picture
Krzysztof Iwanek
@Chris_Iwanek
🇵🇱 Interested in Indian politics and history. Adjunct, University of Bialystok. Author of two books on India. Writes for The Diplomat. Private opinions.
Apr 25 • 11 tweets • 2 min read
Pracowałem w Seulu dwa i pół roku. Na uczelni - w pracy biurowej bym pewnie tyle nie wytrzymał. Tak, Korea jest bardziej rozwinięta, bezpieczniejsza, zaawansowana niż Polska. Ale koszt społeczny jest ogromny. Pracoholizm, wszędzie pracujące starsze osoby, przeciążona młodzież... Studenci studiujący po dwa kierunki tylko po to, żeby mieć dwa dyplomy. No bo skoro wszyscy inni będą mieć dyplom, to ja muszę mieć dwa, więc bardzo wiele osób robi dwa kierunki - nie z zainteresowania, tylko żeby mieć mocniejsze papiery.
Aug 24, 2024 • 9 tweets • 2 min read
PAP ma w Azji... jednego korespondenta (w Chinach). W Indiach nie ma. Kiedy teraz premier Indii był w Warszawie, nie mieliśmy korespondenta, by śledzić reakcje na tę wizytę w Indiach. O tych i innych aspektach polityki Polski wobec Azji rozmawiałem z red. @kwojcicka98 dla DGP.👇 Jak dla mnie PAP powinien mieć korespondentów co najmniej w tych azjatyckich państwach: Chinach (tu dobrze, że jest), Japonii, Korei Południowej, Indiach i gdzieś w Azji Południowo-Wschodniej (idealnie tam kilku; 2-3, ale na początek chociaż jednego).
Aug 21, 2024 • 25 tweets • 7 min read
As the Prime Minister of India is landing in Poland, a short thread on some of the interesting interactions between Poland and India throughout history. I frankly admit that being very busy today, I am putting together a thread from my older tweets. Unlike countries like UK and France, Poland never conquered territories in India in the early modern period. However, there was an attempt in the 18th century when two Polish ships tried to entered the Bay of Bengal to open trade with India...
Mar 29, 2022 • 5 tweets • 3 min read
India's neutrality on Russia's invasion of Ukraine divided Western commentators between the critics and defenders of India's position. I believe the first group can be called the normativists and the second - the realists. I summarise this debate here👇
thediplomat.com/2022/03/the-gr… There are four texts I refer to here as examples of this debate. Among texts of the normativists/critics of India's position I quote: 1. Sumit Ganguly's article for Foreign Policy:
foreignpolicy.com/2022/03/03/ind…
Mar 28, 2022 • 6 tweets • 3 min read
In trade, China has a sharp edge over India, and any sharp object can be weaponised - I write in my new text for the Diplomat (@Diplomat_APAC).

thediplomat.com/2022/03/in-tra… Main points of this text:🧵👇
1. In case of a China-India conflict, could we see economic pressure being used
between them through trade restrictions? Yes - and while we talk of India boycotting Chinese goods, it is actually China who can affect India by restricting its exports.
Mar 1, 2022 • 6 tweets • 2 min read
Many may disagree, but I am with @jamescrabtree on this. I agree with most of this text.
It is a wrong approach to tell the Indian government what we want it to do. What we (the broader West, should do) is to cooperate with India whenever both sides want it. I am trying to separate my private views from the foreign policy of the Indian government. As a Polish person, I would like India to be on one side: in alliance with the West. But as a person following Indian foreign policy, I know this is not what New Delhi wants.
Jan 23, 2022 • 9 tweets • 2 min read
Such things indeed happen on Indian and Nepali mountain roads. Yes, it is usually not that extreme. But this shows why Indian and Nepali drivers should be paid more - and tipped better by tourists. Short thread with my private experience👇 I used to work as a tour leader with Polish tourists going to India and Nepal for 9 years. And I can confirm Indian and Nepali drivers face such or similar challenges. One example I faced myself: As usual, our itinerary led us by road from north India to Nepal...
Jul 7, 2021 • 6 tweets • 2 min read
On hearing the sad news of the death of Dilip Kumar, I take the liberty to bring out a little-known fact. One of the songs in the movie Madhumati, which starred Dilip Kumar and Vyjayanthimala, was based on a Polish song. The song 'Dil Tadap Tadap Ke' was based - well, partially based - on the Polish folk song ,,Szła dziewieczka do laseczka''. Here is the Hindi song:
Jul 27, 2020 • 8 tweets • 2 min read
As yesterday was the anniversary of the end of the Kargil war, let me reminisce on the one time when I talked to the soldiers that took part in this conflict: /short thread/ It was 2009 and I was trekking to the Valley of Flowers in Uttarakhand. For a time I felt I had a really good pace. I think I did the trek in 8 hours. My pride melted away when I was passed by soldiers who just came running to the top and back - in 4 hours, with heavy stuff.
May 1, 2020 • 8 tweets • 4 min read
Under the lockdown some academic publishing houses have made some of their books available: for free, online and legally. Others were already doing this in the past.
One can actually find thousands of free social science books to read online now. Here is what I found:
[thread] 1. University of California Press (@ucpress) has been publishing free e-books for years, I was using them already as a student. There is more than 2,000 of them, available here:
publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/
Look for those marked “public” in a dark grey color.
Feb 28, 2020 • 9 tweets • 4 min read
In 2004, as a student, I chose to write an assignment on how India was portrayed in the 19th century issues of a British satirical journal: Punch, or the London Charivari (some of its issues are at Warsaw Library).
It was a tour of British stereotypes of India.
/thread/ Image I will post some of the scans taken from the archival issues of Punch.
1858: India as a tiger
General Campbell who quelled the Sepoy Mutiny presents India-tiger as a gift to governor Canning.
How about keeping the brute?' - Canning asks.
Britain still fears India after mutiny. Image
Sep 1, 2019 • 12 tweets • 3 min read
Today marks the 80th anniversary of German aggression on Poland which started the II World War. Link to India (and particularly Bombay and Jodhpur)? In face of the attack, some 300 Poles managed to escape to India, through Romania, Turkey and Iraq, and then by the sea, to Bombay. Next group of Poles started to arrive to India from Southeast Asia since 1941, fleeing from the German attack. In both cases many Poles where taking shelter in Bombay where Poland had its consulate.
Aug 30, 2019 • 22 tweets • 7 min read
Have you heard that some of the Indian movies were partially shot in Poland?
There were actually quite a few. Here comes a thread (probably an incomplete one).

First and one of the two best known: Fanaa with Aamir Khan and Kajol. The crew was unable to shoot in Kashmir at that time, so the Polish Tatra mountains played the role of Kashmir.