An Indian king, 650 Polish children fleeing the horrors of World War II, and an act of kindness that has endured for nearly eight decades. The story of the “Good Maharaja” continues to hold a special place in Poland’s national memory, with Prime Minister Donald Tusk recalling the Indian ruler’s legacy on Thursday.
The story dates back to 1942, when a ruler from Gujarat opened his doors to Polish children displaced by the war. At a time when the conflict had torn families apart and left thousands of children without a safe place to go, he offered them shelter far from their homeland.
The man remembered as the “Good Maharaja” was Shri Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, the Jam Saheb of Nawanagar, a princely state in present-day Gujarat, commonly known as Jamnagar.
During World War II, thousands of Poles were sent to the Caucasus as refugees after being released from Soviet gulags. They travelled overland to Iran's Tehran, but conditions there proved inadequate. India was among the few countries that responded to an appeal for assistance from the Polish government-in-exile.
The Jam Saheb, who was then chairman of the Chamber of Princes, agreed to provide refuge to Polish children.
In April 1942, 650 children were transported overland to Balachadi, on the outskirts of Jamnagar. The ruler hosted them at a special camp near his Summer Palace, now part of the Sainik School, and provided shelter until 1946.
The Maharaja’s promise
The Jam Saheb’s welcome to the children became one of the most enduring parts of the story.
“I am your bapu (father), just like I am father to all Nawanagaris. Therefore, you are no longer orphans today,” he told them. The words are now famously inscribed at his memorial in Poland.
Over the next four years, the Balachadi camp became home to around 1,000 Polish children. They received care, education and the opportunity to practise their Catholic faith.
Several people helped run the camp. Father Pluta provided spiritual guidance, while Colonel Jeffrey Clark managed its administration. Dr Amrutlal Ashani, pharmacist Anant Joshi and chief nurse Cathy helped look after the children’s health. Seven Goan cooks prepared their meals, with expenses covered from the Jam Saheb’s personal funds.
His generosity earned him the Polish title Dobry Maharaja, meaning the Good Maharaja.
Balachadi camp diaries
For the children who lived at Balachadi, the camp became much more than a place of refuge. Many retained fond memories of their time in India, with some describing it as their “best childhood memories”.
The children played sports with local youngsters. While the locals proved better at hockey, the Polish children excelled at volleyball and were evenly matched in football. Some locals even called the camp Roopnagari, referring to its cherubic inhabitants.
The story also inspired Polish filmmaker Tomasz Stankiewicz, who spent two years at Balachadi and later produced the acclaimed documentary The Brave Bunch in India.
Warsaw’s tribute to Jam Saheb
Poland’s gratitude to the Jam Saheb has endured long after the children returned home or settled elsewhere around the world.
In 2011, he was posthumously awarded the Commanders’ Cross of the Order of Merit of Poland. A commemorative monument was erected in 2014 at Good Maharaja Square in Warsaw’s Ochota district.
In 2016, Poland’s lower house of parliament unanimously passed a resolution honouring him on the 50th anniversary of his death. Eight prestigious schools in Poland were also named after him following a popular vote among students, parents and faculty members.
The children who survived the war and found refuge in India are represented by The Association of Poles in India: 1942-1948.
How the ‘Good Maharaja’ connects India and Poland today
The story received renewed attention during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to Poland in 2024, the first by an Indian prime minister since 1979. Modi paid homage at the memorial to the Good Maharaja.
The connection also continues through educational exchanges. The Rajkumar College in Rajkot, the Jam Saheb’s alma mater, has an active exchange programme with the Maharaja Independent High School, Bednarska, in Warsaw.
In 2024, 12 students and a teacher from Rajkumar College spent two weeks in Warsaw as part of a family homestay programme. Polish students are expected to make a return visit in November and travel to the historic Balachadi campsite for a wreath-laying ceremony.
Nearly eight decades after the Polish children found refuge in Gujarat, the Jam Saheb’s legacy continues to connect the two countries.