The ‘Good Maharaja’: An Indian king who gave 650 Polish children a home during WWII

The “Good Maharaja” was Shri Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, the Jam Saheb of Nawanagar, a princely state in present-day Gujarat. During World War II, he responded to Poland’s appeal for help and offered displaced Polish children safety far from the war. His action mattered because many children had been separated from their families and lacked a secure place to live.

In April 1942, 650 children travelled overland to Balachadi, near Jamnagar. The Jam Saheb housed them in a special camp near his Summer Palace. He told them, “I am your bapu,” assuring them they were no longer orphans. The camp provided shelter, education, healthcare, meals and the chance to practise their Catholic faith.

The refuge lasted until 1946, and the camp later became remembered as home to around 1,000 Polish children. His generosity earned him the Polish title Dobry Maharaja, or “Good Maharaja.” Poland continues to honour him through monuments, schools, awards and educational exchanges with India.

The first documented group consisted of 650 Polish children. They were transported overland to Balachadi, on the outskirts of Jamnagar, in April 1942. The camp gave them a safe place during a period when war had displaced families and left many children without protection. This scale made the refuge a major humanitarian effort by the Jam Saheb.

The camp operated until 1946, so the children received shelter there for roughly four years. The Jam Saheb hosted them near his Summer Palace and personally covered the expenses of seven Goan cooks. Staff also provided administration, spiritual guidance and healthcare. The children studied, played sports and practised their Catholic faith.

The article gives two related figures. It says 650 children were transported to Balachadi at the beginning, while the camp became home to around 1,000 Polish children over the next four years. That larger number reflects the camp’s wider population across its period of operation.

The children were displaced because World War II had torn apart families and left thousands without safe homes. The article explains that thousands of Poles were sent to the Caucasus as refugees after being released from Soviet gulags. Their journey was shaped by war, forced movement and the lack of secure places for families and children.

They travelled overland from the Caucasus to Tehran, Iran. However, conditions there proved inadequate for the Polish children. The Polish government-in-exile appealed for assistance, and India was among the few countries that responded. The Jam Saheb, then chairman of the Chamber of Princes, agreed to provide refuge.

This route shows how displaced people often depend on several countries during a conflict. The children first needed release and passage, then a place where they could live safely. India’s offer allowed them to move beyond inadequate conditions in Tehran to Balachadi, where shelter, education, healthcare and religious support were available until 1946.

Daily life at Balachadi combined routine care with activities that helped children recover a sense of normal life. They studied, played sports and mixed with local youngsters. The Polish children excelled at volleyball and matched local players in football, while local children were better at hockey. Some locals called the camp Roopnagari, meaning a place associated with its cherubic inhabitants.

The camp also supplied practical and personal care. Father Pluta offered spiritual guidance, and the children could practise their Catholic faith. Colonel Jeffrey Clark managed administration. Dr Amrutlal Ashani, pharmacist Anant Joshi and chief nurse Cathy cared for their health. Seven Goan cooks prepared meals, paid for from the Jam Saheb’s personal funds.

Education was part of the refuge, not an afterthought. The children received schooling while living safely near the Jam Saheb’s Summer Palace. These routines helped Balachadi become a home rather than merely temporary accommodation. Survivors later described their time in India as among their best childhood memories.

Balachadi provided refuge until 1946, when the camp’s period of shelter ended. The article does not give a single destination or one shared outcome for every child. It says the children later returned home or settled elsewhere around the world. Their lives therefore continued in different places after their years in Gujarat.

What they carried with them was the experience of a protected childhood during wartime. At Balachadi, they had received schooling, healthcare, meals, spiritual support and opportunities to play. Many retained fond memories of India, and some described the camp years as their “best childhood memories.” The camp had become a community as well as a refuge.

The survivors’ connection is represented by The Association of Poles in India: 1942-1948. Their story also remains visible through Polish memorials, awards and schools named after the Jam Saheb. These tributes show that the children’s time in India continued to shape public memory long after the camp closed.

The Jam Saheb’s welcome became a lasting symbol of friendship between India and Poland. Poland honoured him posthumously with the Commanders’ Cross of the Order of Merit in 2011. Warsaw opened Good Maharaja Square and erected a commemorative monument in 2014. In 2016, Poland’s lower house unanimously passed a resolution honouring him.

The connection also developed through education. Rajkumar College in Rajkot, the Jam Saheb’s alma mater, has an exchange programme with Maharaja Independent High School, Bednarska, in Warsaw. In 2024, 12 Rajkumar College students and a teacher spent two weeks in Warsaw through a family homestay programme. Polish students were expected to make a return visit.

That visit was scheduled to include the historic Balachadi campsite and a wreath-laying ceremony. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also paid homage at the Good Maharaja memorial during his 2024 state visit to Poland. These exchanges keep the wartime story active for younger generations.

A refugee is a person forced to leave their home because war, persecution or another serious danger makes remaining unsafe. Refugees often cross into another country seeking protection. Children may become refugees when fighting separates families, destroys homes or removes access to food, healthcare and schooling. They then depend on governments and communities willing to provide safety.

The Polish children’s journey illustrates this process. World War II displaced them from their homes, and many Polish refugees were released from Soviet gulags before travelling through the Caucasus to Tehran. Conditions in Tehran were inadequate. India responded to an appeal from the Polish government-in-exile, and the Jam Saheb brought 650 children to Balachadi in April 1942.

At Balachadi, refuge meant more than physical shelter. The children received education, healthcare, meals, spiritual guidance and a place to play. The camp operated until 1946. Their story shows why protection from another country can preserve children’s safety, routines and hope during war.