Jaishankar Visits Warsaw Memorials Honouring India’s World War II Aid to Polish Refugees

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited two memorials in Warsaw honouring India’s humanitarian support to Polish refugees during World War II, recalling a shared chapter of history that continues to strengthen relations between India and Poland.

The visit came during Jaishankar’s two-nation trip to Ukraine and Poland from September 3 to 5. A day earlier, he held wide-ranging discussions with Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski on trade, investment, defence, space, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, energy and supply-chain resilience.

Jaishankar first visited the memorial dedicated to Maharaja Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja of Nawanagar, remembered in Poland for providing shelter and care to around 1,000 Polish children who fled the devastation of World War II.

The Maharaja, popularly known as Jam Saheb, welcomed the children to a settlement in Balachadi in present-day Gujarat. The refugees were provided accommodation, food, education and medical care and came to regard him as “Bapu”, or father.

In Poland, Maharaja Digvijaysinhji is remembered as the “Dobry Maharaja”, meaning the Good Maharaja. His memorial in Warsaw's Ochota district is known as the Square of the Good Maharaja.

Jaishankar recalled the Maharaja's message to the Polish children, in which he told them that he was the father of all people living in Nawanagar, including them.

He said the Maharaja’s compassion and humanitarian support remain an enduring bridge between India and Poland.

The External Affairs Minister also visited the Kolhapur Memorial in Warsaw, which commemorates another important chapter of India’s assistance to Polish refugees during the war.

The princely state of Kolhapur provided refuge to around 5,000 Polish refugees, including women and children, at Valivade near Kolhapur in Maharashtra during World War II.

The humanitarian assistance provided by India to Polish citizens during one of Europe’s most difficult periods remains deeply remembered in Poland and has become an important historical connection between the two countries.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also visited the two memorials during his visit to Poland in August 2024, highlighting the stories of the Polish refugee settlements in India as an important link in India-Poland relations.

During his latest visit, Jaishankar announced that the second edition of the Jam Saheb Memorial Youth Exchange Programme will be held in October. The initiative was launched following Prime Minister Modi’s Poland visit and aims to bring Polish youth to India to learn about the history of Polish refugee settlements in Balachadi and Valivade.

India and Poland also held discussions on several major regional and global issues, including the war in Ukraine, developments in West Asia and the Indo-Pacific.

The two countries discussed expanding cooperation in strategic and economic sectors, including cybersecurity, space, clean coal, critical minerals and other emerging areas.

Jaishankar’s Warsaw visit highlighted how India’s humanitarian support to Polish refugees during World War II continues to serve as a powerful symbol of friendship between the two countries, even as New Delhi and Warsaw deepen cooperation across trade, technology, defence and global affairs.