Jamsaheb Shatrusalyasinhji Jadeja, the scion of the Jamnagar royal family, expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for interacting with his “extended family” in Poland and paying tribute at the Jamsaheb of Nawanagar Memorial in Warsaw. Jamsaheb Jadeja stated that the Prime Minister’s “thoughtful gesture” reflects the spirit and humanity that mirrors the ‘Good Maharaja’ Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja.
The ‘Good Maharaja’ and His Compassion
During World War-II, the Jamsaheb of Nawanagar, Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, provided refuge to more than 1,000 Polish children in the Balachadi camp. The Royal Family of Kolhapur also provided safe haven to more than 5,000 Polish women and children in the Valivade camp. This remarkable act of kindness during the war remains one of the most evocative chapters in the relations between India and Poland, and has had a lasting impact on the ties between the two countries.
Commemorating the Legacy
In recognition of the ‘Good Maharaja’s’ compassionate gesture, a monument was unveiled in October 2014 at the Square of the Good Maharaja in the Ochota District of Warsaw. Another plaque commemorating the Valivade-Kolhapur camp was inaugurated in November 2017 near the Monte Casino War Memorial in Warsaw. Additionally, eight Polish primary and secondary schools have been named after Jam Saheb.
Over the decades, a large number of Polish refugees and their descendants have expressed their gratitude towards the two royal families of India by building memorials in Warsaw and organising annual events to keep the memories alive. The Association of Poles in India, which reunites all the Polish who lived between 1942 and 1948 in the two camps set up by the Maharajas of Jamnagar and Kolhapur, meets once in two years to recall and reiterate their gratitude and affection for the two royal families and the people of India.
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