As Poland’s 100 years of Independence is nearing, the country is gearing up for a massive celebration. What interesting is that along with Poland, there will be a similar jamboree in Gujarat, which shares a special bond with the European country since 1942.
Poland was invaded by Hitler’s Nazi forces and Stalin’s Red Army in 1939. Most of the families from Soviet-dominated areas from where they were loaded in trucks and sent to Turkmenistan, Iran, Afghanistan. Thousands of children were separated from their parents and sent to the wide corners of the world, including India.
While many Polish families made it to refugee camps in Nagpur, Kolhapur and Mumbai, the 1,000 or so children, all under the age of 15, had a special problem, as they needed a school, boarding facilities and caretakers.
It was then, that Balachadi, a small town 25km from Jamnagar district in Gujarat, had provided shelter to thousand Polish children. The Jamsaheb Digvijaysinghji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja of Nawanagar stepped in, offering to build the school for them, and provide them food and shelter near his palace.
The premises where the Polish children were given shelter near Digvijaysinhji’s summer palace was converted into Sainik School in 1961.
The story of the Balachadi children evokes warm feelings about how India helped thousands of Poles during the Second World War, but also reminds them of the cruelty of the past, and the terribly hard journey they were forced to take.
Those who survived the rage, the memory of their original journey from Poland to the refugee camps in the 1940s in vivid. It’s that lane of memories that brings Poland and Gujarat together again and again after year.
Now in their 90s, the six survivors are expected to arrive in Jamnagar later in September, with their spouses to participate in a day-long celebration of the special bond Poland has with India. The event is being organised by the Polish government, which is celebrating 100 years of independence in November this year.
The six survivors coming to Jamnagar are the part of a documentary “A Little Poland in India,” produced by film maker Anu Radha.
The MoU was signed by Polish ambassador to India Adam Burakowski and principal secretary of youth and cultural affairs department V P Patel. Burakowski had requested the Gujarat government to become the co-organisers of the celebrations under “generations to generations” programme. As per the agreement, the state government’s cultural affairs department will help Poland in organising and publicising programme in Delhi and other parts of the world.
