Warsaw: Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid homage to Jam Saheb of Nawanagar on Wednesday and laid a wreath at his memorial in Warsaw after arriving on his two-day visit to Poland. He will lay a wreath at the memorial of Jam Saheb Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji, a former Maharaja of Nawanagar (now Jamnagar), who established the Polish Children's Camp in Jamnagar to provide refuge to thousands of Polish children escaping from the Soviet Union during World War II.
After he paid tribute to the Jam Saheb at Warsaw's Good Maharaja Square, PM Modi also briefly interacted with people at the venue.This came hours after the Prime Minister emplaned for Poland and arrived at the airport in Warsaw, becoming the first Indian leader to visit the Central European country in 45 years. His highly-anticipated visit to Warsaw, comes as India and Poland are celebrating the 70th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations.
Why is Jam Saheb of Nawanagar important in India-Poland ties?
The age-old ties between India and Poland are marked by the contribution of Jam Sahib of Nawanagar (now in Gujarat's Jamnagar), who was influential in India's decision to shelter around 6,000 displaced Polish children who were lost and orphaned amid death and destruction caused by WWII and the 1939 Soviet invasion of Poland. These refugees were not allowed anywhere at the time.
Gujarat's special role in furthering India-Poland relations remains etched in history. During World War II, Maharaja Jam Saheb Digvijaysinhji of Jamnagar sheltered over 1,000 Polish refugee children in Gujarat—an act of kindness still remembered in Poland today, said Union Minister Bhupendra Patel.
After hearing of the plight of the Polish children, the Maharaja, a member of the Imperial War Council, 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.
My father survived from Russia and then he was adopted by Good Maharaja in Jamnagar, India. I am here because of that... However, it was a horrible time when he lost contact with his mother, father and sisters. He was an orphan there but he was so proud, so happy, so joyful whenever he was talking about India he was always opening a heart," said Tomek Gutowski, the son of one of the Polish children seeking refuge in India.
How did the Maharaja's family react?
Meanwhile, the current Jam Saheb of Nawanagar Shatrusalyasinhji expressed joy over the PM's interaction with his extended family in Poland and praised his thoughtful gesture that embodies the spirit and humanity that mirror "the Good Maharaja".
In a written message, Shatrushiyasinhji Digvijaysinkyi Jadeja discussed the deep reverence of the unimaginable trials and enduring hardships that were endured by the Polish people. He also mentioned that in order to build on the legacy and further strengthen the historical connect between the people of India and Poland, he has requested the Prime Minister to consider setting up a youth, student and cultural exchange between the two countries.
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.
PM Modi's visit to other Polish memorials
The Prime Minister is set to visit the Monte Cassino Memorial and the Memorial to Kolhapur Family later. "The history behind these memorials connects Poland and India in a very special way. The people of India and Poland in a very special way," said Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal in a video message.
The Monte Cassino Memorial commemorates the victory of the soldiers of the Second Polish Corps at the Battle of Monte Cassino during the Second World War in 1944. The Kolhapur Memorial has been set up in the memory of the village in Kolhapur who sheltered Polish children during WWII, aided by the Jam Saheb of Nawanagar.
The Indian leader is slated to hold talks with the Polish leadership, including President Andrzej Sebastian Duda and his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk, and engage with the Indian community there on Thursday. He will also hold talks with business leaders from Poland to strengthen India-Poland business relations and meet Indologists and some kabaddi players to see what is there that attracts India and Poland at the people-to-people level together, according to Jaiswal.
Shortly before emplaning to Poland on Thursday, the Prime Minister said he looked forward to the opportunity to meeting the Polish leadership to advance India's partnership with Warsaw, as well as strengthen bilateral cooperation and share perspectives on a peaceful resolution of the ongoing Ukraine conflict.
After concluding his Poland trip, PM Modi will visit Ukraine on an invitation by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which comes after his highly-publicised trip to Russia on June 8-9 amid the raging war between Moscow and Kyiv. Modi would become the first Indian leader ever to visit Ukraine after diplomatic relations were established in 1992.
(with ANI inputs)
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