No Way Back Home: The Unexpected Life of a Czech Family in India (1938-1977)

In 1938, when faced with a decision to work at a shoe company in India or stay in Czechoslovakia and wait for another war, Miki Hruska's newly married parents opted to move, thinking they would return home in a few years. But they would not be able to return "home" for another four decades; instead, home became Calcutta, where they raised their family and established a business during a parade of turbulent social and political events. The ill-planned departure of the British from India and their bungled attempts at Partition engendered riots and killings that brought bloodshed to the family's front door. And when the Communists took over the government of West Bengal, they brought labour disruptions that made it next to impossible to operate the family business. This riveting family memoir is set during the cataclysmic events of WWII and its aftermath, giving a harrowing yet heartwarming portrait of life for a migrant Czech family and showing how perseverance and love can sustain people through the darkest of times.

Miki Hruska was born and raised in Calcutta, India. Although trained as an engineer, he later took a history degree. He spent many hours researching post-war politics and living conditions of Czechoslovakia and India, which finally answered the questions he always had about why his parents chose to move in 1938. He lives in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, with his wife, Evelyn Ellerman.