Who was Jam Sahib? The Maharaja who saved 1,000 Polish-Jewish children and became their ‘Bapu’

From 1933 to 1945, the world faced some of the darkest years in its history, ones that would paint a huge scar on its memoir, rewriting the rules of life for many. Adolf Hitler became the chancellor of Germany, initiating a period that came to be known as the Third Reich. During the Nazi years, it is believed that about 6 million Poles lost their lives with 3 million of them being Jews.The invasion began on September 1, 1939, resulting in a massive refugee crisis. Many Poles tried to escape to the Soviet Union and while they remained captured initially, they were released in June 1941, when the Nazis invaded Russia. Among them were 18,000 children, whose fate, along with their parents’ was yet to be decided.Polish humanitarian resources ran to galvanise the rescued children, sending caravans to the East and India, through Iran. This is when an Indian maharaja stepped in as the prophet of life. In erstwhile Nawanagar, present-day Jamnagar, the rulers were known as Jam Sahib (King of Jam). From April 1933 to February 1948, Maharaja Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja ruled the princely state. He succeeded his uncle, famous cricketer Ranjitsinhji and became known for something even more grand and important.In 1942, as World War II raged over countries and Nazi persecution of Jewish communities continued in full force, Maharaja Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, known as Jam Sahib, stepped in to provide refuge to about 1,000 Polish children.After a harrowing journey through the Soviet territories and the Middle East, the children arrived on the Indian shores to be welcomed by the Maharaja. He established a special settlement for them at Balachadi, near Jamnagar and provided them with food, education, shelter and medical care.But more importantly, he provided them with an opportunity for life, one filled with dignity and belonging. As per survivor accounts, the Maharaja told the children: “You are no longer orphans. You are now Nawanagaris,” absorbing them into his kingdom as his subjects.He asked the children, many of whom were orphans, to call him ‘Bapu,’ meaning father. He became their father and their protector, teaching them in the Polish language, culture and patriotism.The children stayed with him in Balchadi till the end of the war in 1945, after which they settled into different parts of the globe including Poland, the United Kingdom, Australia and others.Fifty years after his death, Poland’s Parliament honoured him for his aid to the Polish children and refugees of the Second World War. The “Good Maharaja’s Square” was created along with a memorial with a street named after him in Warsaw.In Israel, the Jam Sahib Sculpture was placed in Nevatim by the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation. Moreover, during his visit to Israel in February 2026, he delved into this lesser-known tale: the story of a Gujarati ruler who offered sanctuary to Jewish children fleeing the horrors of the Holocaust.He highlighted how India’s relationship with Jewish people predates formal ties and goes back to humanitarian relations. From Jamnagar to Jerusalem, humanity has crossed borders and reached hearts, the diplomacy declined in the olden times.