In the wake of Gujarat’s historical relation with Poland going back to World War-II days, Gujarat Government’s Sports Youth & Cultural Activities Department will extend its support to Poland celebrate in its Independence Day Centenary scheduled for October 2018.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to this effect was signed between Gujarat’s Sports Youth & Cultural Activities Secretary VP Patel and Poland’s Ambassador to India Adam Burakowski in presence of Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani at the State Capit             al Gandhinagar.

Gujarat Government will support Poland in information and publicity of the cultural programmes lined-up by Poland during the centenary celebration in their country, in New Delhi and other places in the world, under the theme ‘Generation to Generation’.

This is in positive response to Poland Ambassador’s recent visit to Gujarat expressing his desire to strengthen the historic bond between the two regions.

It may be recalled that during the World War-II, Nawanagar Maharaja Digvijaysinh of Nawanagar (now called Jamnagar) had provided asylum to nearly 1,000 war orphans and women at his Balachadi Palace in his princely state then. When their ship docked in Mumbai, the British Governor too refused them entry.

Maharaja, who had heard of the plight of the refugees, sought to help them and pressurized the British Government to allow the refugees to disembark. Frustrated by the lack of empathy and the unwillingness of the Government to act, the Maharaja ordered the ship to dock at Rosi port in his province.

His act of generosity is clearly still remembered in Poland, where he was posthumously award the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit by the President. Poland has also named the Maharaja the Honorary Patron of the popular Warsaw Bednarska High School. In 2013, the Government of Poland inaugurated the ‘Good Maharaja Square’ in Warsaw.

Courtesy: The Pioneer, Friday, 11 May 2018 | PNS | Gandhinagar