![\"Jaishankar\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/poland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1200-675-27565224-30-27565224-1788620032678.jpg\"\/ "\\"Jaishankar")
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In this image posted on Sept. 5, 2026, Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visits the ‘Dobry Maharaja’ memorial in Warsaw, Poland. (PTI)<\/p>\n
Warsaw: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday visited two memorials in Warsaw that commemorate India\u2019s humanitarian role in providing shelter to Polish refugees during World War II, recalling a little-known chapter that continues to shape the close ties between the two countries.<\/p>\n
Jaishankar\u2019s visit to the memorials came a day after he held wide-ranging talks with Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski on Friday, covering trade and investment, defence, space, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, energy and supply-chain resilience.<\/p>\n
Jaishankar is on a two-nation visit to Ukraine and Poland from September 3-5. He visited Kyiv on Thursday, where he held talks with top Ukrainian leadership.<\/p>\n
At the memorial of Maharaja Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja of Nawanagar, Jaishankar recalled the words with which the Indian ruler welcomed Polish children who had fled the devastation of the war: \u201cI am Bapu, the father of all Nawanagaris, including yourselves.\u201d <\/p>\n
In a post on X, Jaishankar on Saturday said Jadeja was \u201cfondly remembered for looking after 1,000 Polish children during World War II\u201d and that his \u201cwarmth & compassion remain an abiding bridge\u201d between India and Poland.<\/p>\n
\u201cDispersed around the world,
We remember India \ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf3
With heartfelt gratitude.\u201d<\/p>\n
Paid my respects at the Kolhapur Memorial in Warsaw, remembering the refuge provided to 5,000 Polish women & children during World War II.<\/p>\n
This act of generosity is still fresh in the memory of the\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/7lLMKHNk3m<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) September 5, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n Jadeja, the ruler of the erstwhile princely state of Nawanagar, now part of Gujarat\u2019s Jamnagar, provided shelter and care to the children at a settlement in Balachadi. The children were provided accommodation, food, education and medical care, and came to remember him as their \u201cBapu\u201d, or father.<\/p>\n \u201cI am Bapu, the father of all Nawanagaris, including yourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n Visited the Memorial of the \u2018Dobry (Good) Maharaja\u2019 of Jamnagar in Warsaw today.<\/p>\n Thank MP @gajewska_kinga<\/a> and Ochota Mayor Piotr Krasnod\u0119bski for joining.<\/p>\n Jamsaheb Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja ji is fondly\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/4agSAG8mvu<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) September 5, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n Jadeja, also referred to as Jam Saheb, is popularly remembered in Poland as the \u201cDobry Maharaja (Good King)\u201d. His memorial is situated in Warsaw\u2019s Ochota district and is known as the Square of the Good Maharaja.<\/p>\n Jaishankar visited the memorial on Saturday along with Polish MP Kinga Gajewska and Ochota Mayor Piotr Krasnod\u0119bski.<\/p>\n The external affairs minister later paid his respects at the Kolhapur Memorial in Warsaw, which commemorates another chapter of India\u2019s wartime assistance to Poland.<\/p>\n The memorial recalls the refuge provided by the princely state of Kolhapur to around 5,000 Polish refugees, including women and children, who were sheltered at Valivade near Kolhapur in Maharashtra during World War II.<\/p>\n \u201cThis act of generosity is still fresh in the memory of the Polish people,\u201d Jaishankar said in another post on X, recalling the refuge provided to the Polish refugees. The two memorials are part of a wider historical connection that has gained renewed attention in India-Poland relations in recent years.<\/p>\n Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited both memorials during his Poland visit in August 2024, highlighting the wartime stories as an important link between the two countries.<\/p>\n During his current visit, Jaishankar announced that the second edition of the Jam Saheb Memorial Youth Exchange Programme would take place in October.<\/p>\n The programme was launched after Modi\u2019s 2024 visit and is aimed at bringing Polish youth to India to learn about the history of the Polish refugee settlements in Balachadi and Valivade.<\/p>\n The two sides on Friday discussed the war in Ukraine, the situation in West Asia and the Indo-Pacific. Jaishankar said India and Poland, as political democracies and open market economies, could cooperate on major global issues.<\/p>\n He said the two countries were also working on agreements in areas including cybersecurity, space, clean coal, classified information and critical minerals. <\/p>\n Also read<\/p>\n EAM S Jaishankar To Address Annual High-Level UNGA Session On September 26<\/a><\/p>\n