How Polish Refugees Came To India

One of history’s largest refugee crises took place following the 1947 partition. Shadowed by the country’s personal experience with mass migration, another story of displacement that we witnessed during the same decade has been largely unwritten. This is the story behind how Polish refugees sought asylum in India.

Polish Refugees

In 1939, Hitler’s invasion of western Poland triggered the declaration of World War II. Sixteen days later, the Soviets responded by marching into the country’s eastern cities. Because of this, Poland was squeezed from East to West, trapped between two unrelenting aggressors. On the eastern flank, the Soviet invasion also led to roughly two million Poles being uprooted from their homes and sent to Arctic Russia, Siberia and Kazakhstan. Here, harsh and lonesome expanses of pine and steppe confronted them with grief, hardship and an oppressive reality.

Ultimately, the Soviet Union joined the allied forces and deportees were released in 1941. But World War II was still ongoing. This meant that these Polish citizens were stuck indefinitely, with no place to go home to. During this time, India became one of the first countries to open its borders and welcome refugees onto its land.

One of the key proponents of this change was Maharaja Digvijaysinhji. Also known as Jam Saheb, the Maharaja ruled Nawanagar, a princely state in British India. His father was a friend of Ignacy Paderewski, a Polish pianist who the young prince remembered meeting in Geneva as a child. With this personal history in mind, the Maharaja was keen to host refugees in his home state as soon as the decision to accept Polish refugees was finalised by officials.

The Maharaja then established a camp in Jamnagar and later a settlement in Valivade. Andrzej Chendynski was one of nearly 5000 Polish children who had been allocated to Valivade. After the tragic deaths of his mother and older brother in Uzbekistan, and losing his youngest brother on a ship aboard the Caspian Sea, Chendynski's journey to the camp was rife with personal tragedy. In an interview with a journalist, he now smiles as he recalls the unique intersection he had noticed when the two cultures first came face to face:

“The Hindus were astonished to see poor and homeless white people. The local population who got used to the sumptuously rich British landlords could not believe their eyes as they looked at the impoverished Polish refugees.”

In a way, Valivade’s camp was built to be a home away from home. The site was equipped with shops, a school, an auditorium, and medical facilities, among other amenities. One of the young refugees even recalls going to the ruler’s swimming pool with a few other boys. Others recall how the Maharaja had insisted the children call him Bapu, an endearing local word meaning father.

Soon, Polish culture started to become a mainstay. A Polish flag was raised and construction of churches was also undertaken as they were integral to the refugees' pre-war life. All this led Valivade to spring up a sort of ‘Little Poland’ in India. For refugees who faced deportation, starvation, and enslavement in labour camps, India was like a blessing — a gesture that wasn’t left forgotten.

Today, remnants of the Maharaja’s generosity are still found in modern Poland. ‘Good Maharaja's Square’ in the nation’s capital city was named after the ruler to recognise his kindness. A documentary called ‘Little Poland in India’ was also made as a collaboration between the Indian and Polish governments to remember those who led rehabilitation efforts in India.

The years Polish refugees spent in India are largely subdued in mainstream history. But to the people who experienced it, these years are a crucial wartime story, and have even ushered in a brilliant bilateral relationship today. When COVID-19 infections rose in India, it was Poland that donated over 1.5 tons of medical equipment and life-saving oxygen concentrators — an act of kindness that perfectly represents the unique solidarity shared by the two countries till date.