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| the Good Maharajah |
When Germany and the Soviet Union carved up Poland in 1939, Stalin had several hundred thousand Poles, including women and children, deported to the inner depths of the Soviet Union. But when Hitler turned on Stalin, Stalin was forced to ally with Great Britain and the Polish government-in-exile. Amnesty was declared for Polish prisoners in the Soviet Union. The Maharaja offered to help Polish children who had been deported to Siberia, Kazakhstan, and other locations.
As many as 500 orphans were brought to the Maharaja's summer palace at Balachadi, on the coast of Nawanagar. The children remained there throughout the war. Delegates of the Polish government-in-exile even set up and ran a school.
And now, the Warsaw City Council passed a resolution on Friday, June 1, to name a square in the Ochota district of central Warsaw after the prince. Apparently I am not the only one who has difficulty pronouncing his name -- the square will be called "the Square of the Good Maharaja."
English - Text :
ReplyDeleteGreat is the Indian Maharaja and Great are the Polish people !!!
Romani - Text :
O baro si e Indiako Thagar, vi-te bare si e Poliska-ke manusha !!!
Wow, thank you!
ReplyDeleteA journalist has turned a rejected story about the Maharaja and the children he saved into a Ph.D. dissertation and a book: http://cosmopolitanreview.com/second-homeland/.
ReplyDeleteAs a follow-up on our friend the Good Maharajah, a monument has now been unveiled in the square, which was dedicated in 2013 (I unfortunately missed the announcement about that):
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thenews.pl/1/10/Artykul/186154,Warsaw-monument-unveiled-for-maharaja-who-saved-Poles
It appears that at least two of the children who lived at the Maharajah's palace have visited the memorial monument.
Great, and where I can meet these two person.
ReplyDeleteI am from India and I am in Warsaw,Poland.
Unfortunately, I don't know their contact information. If you read the article, you'll see that their names are mentioned in the photo, but that's all. Maybe you can try looking for them in a Warsaw phone directory? The names are Andrzej Chendyński and Wieslaw Stypula. Or try contacting the Web site or the photographer?
DeleteIn India Digvijaysinhji is remembered for the reconstruction of Somnath temple. He passed away in 1966.
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading my post and for sending more information on the Good Maharajah.
DeleteHere's one more contact for those interested in the Good maharajah http://www.jta.org/2012/06/27/life-religion/seeking-kin-a-maharajah-comes-to-the-rescue
DeleteThank you or the link! I always enjoy reading more about the Good Maharajah.
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