Simon Weil is an unparalleled thinker of the notion of strength, and yet she still has not taken her rightful place within the field of postcolonial studies in France. This article intends to compensate for this neglect by analysing and describing the ways in which she makes a detour to the ancient wisdoms of India right from the beginning of the Occupation in France. By claiming that there is a direct link between Simone Weil’s interest in the ancient cultures of India and her strong receptivity to the colonial question, this article examines both the practical dimension of this detour which will reinforce her decision to act against Nazism, and the philological inventiveness of this extraordinary Hellenist who was engaged in the struggles of her time.