CPC 101: Kotnis, an Indian Doctor who sacrificed his life for the Chinese Revolution

Kotnis was an Indian doctor, but also a member of the Communist Party of China. During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, he resolutely came to China and dedicated his life to the cause of liberation of the Chinese nation.

In 1938, the young Kotnis volunteered to join the Indian Medical Team to assist China’s resistance war against Japanese aggression. In January 1941, Kotnis became the director of Bethune International Peace Hospital.

In 1942, Kotnis became a member of the Communist Party of China. “It is my will to join the Communist Party of China”, after taking the oath, he was overwhelmed with excitement: “I will fight with the soldiers and civilians in the liberated areas until the last drop of my blood”. In December of the same year, at the age of 32, Kotnis passed away due to illness. Today, Kotnis and Canadian doctor Bethune are both buried in a martyr’s cemetery in Shijiazhuang.

Kotnis dedicated himself to the cause he believed in and sacrificed his life for the Chinese revolution. In the elegy written for him, Chairman Mao said:“...The whole army has lost a helping hand, and the nation has lost a friend. The internationalist spirit of Kotnis is something we should never forget.”