Polish Refugees in India, During and After the Second World War Cover Image

Polish Refugees in India, During and After the Second World War
Polish Refugees in India, During and After the Second World War

Author(s): Anuradha Bhattacharjee
Subject(s): History
Published by: Polish Institute of Houston

Summary/Abstract: The journey through India of Polish victims of Soviet deportations rescued after the German attack on its erstwhile ally the Soviet Union in 1941, is a familiar story to Poles but not to Western readers. Among those who know something about this significant episode of history, the passage to India and ensuing domicile is usually assumed to have taken place under a British-sponsored and British-financed scheme. A study of relevant documents reveals that it was the Indian Princely State (PS) of Nawanagar that offered the first domicile to the Polish children evacuated out of the Soviet Union. The first 500 Polish children were hosted in Balachadi in Nawanagar State and were maintained by charitable funds raised in India, subscribed to by several Indian princes and wealthy individuals. During the 1942–48 period, Indian contributions for the Polish orphans amounted to Rs. 600,000, or 6,765,607 euros in 2008 terms. Even scholarly literature abounds in inaccurate statements, such as “[British] India, which had already agreed to take 1,000 children, increased its offer in December 1942 to accept 11,000. They were settled at a camp near Balachadi (Kolhapur),”or “In addition to the East African camps, a camp was established for adult [Polish] refugees near Bombay. The latter camp was primarily funded by a Hindu Maharaja. In reality, Balachadi and Kolhapur were two different camps and they had different antecedents and funding patterns.

  • Issue Year: XXXIII/2013
  • Issue No: 02
  • Page Range: 1743-1756
  • Page Count: 14
  • Language: English