On the eve of India’s Independence Day, the Association of Poles in India (1942–48), together with the Warsaw Garrison of the Polish Armed Forces, organised a solemn ceremony at Skwer Żołnierzy Tułaczy in Warsaw to honour Jamsaheb Digvijaysinhji, the Maharaja of Nawanagar, and the Royal Family of Kolhapur.
Speaking at the event, Adam Siwek, Director of the Institute of National Remembrance, and Michał Syska, Deputy Director of the Office of Combatants and Veterans at the Ministry of Defence, expressed deep gratitude for the extraordinary compassion shown by the Maharajas in offering refuge to Polish women and children between 1942 and 1948. Director Siwek noted that the Polish camps in India, unlike those run under British colonial administration elsewhere, were funded and managed personally by the Indian rulers, reflecting their generosity and humanity.
Andrzej Jan Chendynski, President of the Association of Poles in India, shared moving memories of his childhood in the Valivade camp in Kolhapur, recalling the historic moment when, as a young Polish scout, he witnessed the first hoisting of the Indian tricolour on 15 August 1947.
In her remarks, Ambassador Nagma M. Mallick paid tribute to the enduring bonds between Indians and Poles, saluting the heartfelt efforts of the Polish community in Warsaw who built beautiful stone memorials to preserve this shared history. She also honoured the memory of Wiesław Stypuła, Roman Gutowski, and others who proudly called themselves Jamnagari Dzieci Maharadży – “the Jamnagar children of the Maharaja” – for their role in keeping alive the story of the Good Maharaja through the decades.
The ceremony was attended by former residents of the Indian camps, their families, and representatives of the Maharaja School, Bednarska. The event concluded with participants laying wreaths at the memorial in a poignant gesture of remembrance.
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