Between 1942 and 1948, over 6,000 Polish women and children found refuge in India.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today embarked on an unprecedented three-day visit to Poland and Ukraine. Prime Minister Modi's visit to Poland will be the first visit of an Indian PM to Poland in 45 years since Morarji Desai in 1979. The timing of this visit coincides with the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Poland.
The formal establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Poland in 1954 was soon followed by the opening of the Indian Embassy in Warsaw in 1957, and the Polish Embassy in New Delhi the same year.
One of the most important chapters in India-Poland relations dates back to World War II. Between 1942 and 1948, over 6,000 Polish women and children found refuge in India, particularly in the princely states of Jamnagar and Kolhapur. The then-Maharaja of Nawanagar, Jam Saheb Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji, played a key role in offering sanctuary to these refugees. His act of providing a safe haven for over a thousand Polish children, who had escaped the horrors of war, is remembered fondly in Poland to this day.
Born in 1895, 'Good Maharaja' Digvijaysinhji was educated in India and the UK and had a distinguished military career before succeeding his uncle, the famous cricketer KS Ranjitsinhji, as the Maharaja of Nawanagar in 1933.
During World War II, as thousands of Poles were deported to Soviet camps under harrowing conditions, the Maharaja's sense of duty and compassion led him to offer refuge to Polish children. In 1942, the first group of 170 children arrived in Nawanagar.
When the war ended and the children returned to Europe, the bond between them and the Maharaja remained strong. Though he never sought recognition for his deeds, his dream of being remembered in a liberated Poland was fulfilled posthumously. In 1989, a square in Warsaw was named in his honour, and a monument dedicated to him stands in the 'Good Maharaja Square.' He was also posthumously awarded the Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland.
Today, a school in Warsaw named after the Maharaja continues to celebrate this unique connection.
After his Poland visit, PM Modi will depart for Ukraine on August 22. During his brief visit, he will hold discussions with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He will then return to Poland.