Jamnagar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing a public gathering in Jamnagar, Gujarat, paid homage to Jam Saheb Maharaja Digvijay Singh and recalled his contribution in saving hundreds of Polish citizens during Nazi Germany's attack in the Second World War. The Indian PM credited the Maharaja for India's strong relations with Poland.
"Gujarat has been contributing to the county since olden times. During the Second World War, Jamnagar’s Maharaja Digvijay Singh gave asylum to the people of Poland. Today, our relationship with Poland is strong because of the seeds planted by him," he said during the rally on Thursday. PM Modi also mentioned that the Polish Parliament has honoured the memory and kindness of Maharaja Digivijay Singh.
"I am making a museum dedicated to the royal families who contributed greatly to the integrity of India... Those who forget history can never make history," he further said. The Maharaja in Jamnagar (erst Nawanagar) is referred to as Jam Saheb, who resort from the Jam Jadeja clan of the Rajputs. Jam Rawalji was the first Jam Saheb of Nawanagar in 1540.
This came as PM Modi met Maharaja Digvijay's son and former cricketer Jam Saheb Shri Shatrusalyasinhji amid his hectic election campaign in Jamnagar. Jam Saheb Shatrusalyasinhji is the last person to hold the title of Maharaja of Nawanagar and served as the Saurashtra Cricket Association after he had retired from active sports. The Maharaja in Jamnagar is referred to as Jam Saheb, who resort from the Jam Jadeja clan of the Rajputs.
Who was Jam Saheb Digvijaya Singh?
Maharaja Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, a scion of the Jadeja Rajput lineage, was born on September 18, 1895, in the quaint town of Sadodar, Gujarat, during the era of British colonialism. He served as a military lieutenant in the British Army and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general in 1947. He was an avid sports fan and also served as the President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) during 1937-1938.
Maharaja Digvijay's most formidable contribution is to provide shelter to a thousand Polish refugees, including women and children, who fled their country when Nazi Germany's invaded Poland in cahoots with the Soviet Union in the Second World War. Thanks to the Maharaja's efforts, the Polish refugees, including 600 children, were provided with food, clothes and medical care. These refugees were not allowed anywhere at the time.
The Maharaja also established the Polish Children’s Camp in Jamnagar-Balachadi to offer refuge to civilians who had escaped from the Soviet Union. When Poland became an independent state in 1989, 23 years after Maharaja Digvijay's death, a square in Warsaw was named after Digvijaysinhji. A small park in Poland's Ochota is also called the Square of the Good Maharaja.
In 2016, the Polish parliament adopted a special resolution the Jam Saheb for hi contribution in saving the lives of Polish refugees. "The Parliament of Poland, recalling the figure of Jam Saheb Shri Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja... honours his memory and pays tribute to him for his enormous merits and the great self-interests he showed in saving over a thousand Polish children from hunger and suffering," the resolution read.
In 2022, PM Modi paid homage to Maharaja Digvijay's kindness and said it created a lasting bond with the people of Poland that helped a great deal during the evacuation of Indians from Ukraine in the war against Russia. The Prime Minister remarked that Jamnagar has contributed tremendously to the cricket field as well under the Maharaja's tenure.
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