Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji

Lieutenant-General Maharaja Jam Sri Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji (18 September 1895 – 3 February 1966) was a British Indian Army officer and Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawanagar from 1933 to 1947, succeeding his uncle, the famed cricketer Ranjitsinhji.

Early life and military career

Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji was born at Sarodar on 18 September 1895, the third son of Maharaj Sri Jawansinhji Jivansinhji (10 November 1875 – 12 January 1942), who was the younger brother of the famed cricketer Maharaja K.S. Ranjitsinhji. He was educated at Rajkumar College, Rajkot, in Gujarat, then at Malvern College and University College London.

Commissioned a second lieutenant in the British Army in 1919, Digvijaysinhji enjoyed a military career for over two decades.^[1] Attached to the 125th Rajput Infantry in 1920, he served with the Egyptian Expeditionary Force, subsequently receiving a promotion to Lieutenant in 1921.^[2] He then served with the Waziristan Field Force from 1922 to 1924; after a promotion to captain in 1929, he retired from the army in 1931.^[3] However, he would continue to receive honorary promotions in the Indian Army until 1947, ending with the rank of lieutenant-general.

Two years later, Digvijaysinhji succeeded his uncle, who had adopted him as his heir. From 1939 until his demise, he was the longest serving President of Governing Council of The Rajkumar College, Rajkot.

Maharaja Jam Sahib

Upon the passing of his uncle, Digvijaysinhji became Maharaja Jam Sahib in 1933, continuing his uncle's policies of development and public service. Knighted in 1935, Sir Digvijaysinhji joined the Chamber of Princes, leading it as president from 1937 to 1944. Upholding the cricketing tradition of his uncle, he served as President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India in 1937–1938 and was a member of several prominent sporting clubs. During the Second World War, Sir Digvijaysinhji served on the Imperial War Cabinet and the National Defense Council, along with the Pacific War Council.

In 1942 he established Polish Children Camp in Jamnagar-Balachadi for refugee Polish children who were brought out of the USSR during World War II. It existed until 1945, when it was closed and the children were transferred to Valivade, a quarter of a city Kolhapur.^[4][5][6] The camp site today is part of 300 acre campus of the Sainik School, Balachadi.^[7] The Jamsaheb Digvijay Singh Jadeja School in Warsaw was established to honor this legacy.^{[8] [9]}

The many wars

During the years preceding World War II and after the Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939, a huge number of Poles were taken away by the Red Army to work at the Soviet-run labour camps in remote parts of North-Eastern USSR and Siberia. When Hitler's army invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, the USSR announced a general amnesty leading to the release of Polish exiles from labour camps. This was also done with a view to encourage forming a Polish Army unit to fight the German army that was fast advancing into the USSR.

Thus began a great exodus – from the cold parts of the Soviet Union to warmer southern regions of Central Asia. The long and arduous journey stretched over hundreds of kilometres. It was a test of human endurance and suffering in the most difficult situations. Many travellers lost their loved ones en route owing to the cold, hunger, malnutrition and dehydration. The journey stretched across many lands and transit points – Ashkhabad in Turkmenistan, Mashhad, Isfahan and Tehran in Iran, Afghanistan, Quetta, Zahedau and Karachi in present day Pakistan and to India's western coast.

The first batch of the 500 severely malnourished and exhausted orphans had a surprise welcome, when they arrived in Nawanagar, from the Maharaja himself. "Don't consider yourselves orphans. You are now Nawanagaris and I am Bapu, the father of all Nawanagaris, including yourselves," he said. Digvijay Singh was the Chancellor of the Council of Princes and member of the Imperial War Cabinet in British India (1939–1945) who opened his province to Polish refugees threatened with annihilation. He knew the officials of the Polish government in exile that operated from London owing to his position in the Imperial War Cabinet.

Kind heart

Digvijay Singh not only welcomed the refugees, but also ensured that they had special accommodation, schools, medical facilities and opportunities for rest and recuperation at Balachadi, near Jamnagar. Singh also opened a camp at Chela and involved the rulers of Patiala and Baroda, with whom he had a good rapport in the Chamber of Princes, to help the refugees. Business houses like Tata and other individuals raised over Rs. 6,00,000 between 1942 -1945 (a huge amount in those days) to maintain the first batch of 500 refugees.

Other camps were also set up at Balachadi, Valivade (Kolhapur), Bandra (Mumbai) and Panchgani. Singh coordinated with the Polish Government in exile and took steps to impart education in Polish language apart from arranging for catholic priests to follow the religious mores of the refugees. Between 1942 and 1948, about 20,000 refugees stayed and transited through the then undivided India for a duration ranging from six months to six years. About 6,000 of them were granted war-duration domicile that stretched till March 1948, according to Prof. Anuradha Bhattacharya, whose doctoral thesis submitted to the University of Pune in 2006 documents the comprehensive history of Polish Refugees in India.

After the World War II and the recognition of Poland's government by Great Britain, the refugees were asked to return to Poland. However, many chose to be repatriated to the UK, the US, Australia and other Commonwealth nations while just a few returned to Poland. Today, many of the survivors still recall with emotion and tears, the Maharaja's personal send-off at the railway station.

The School's principal, Krystyna Starcewska, says that this incident from history is remembered with respect and gratefulness, and had become a part of the school's own legacy.

Right custodians

Maria Krzysztof Byrski, former Ambassador of Poland to India from 1993 to 1996 and a professor of Indian Studies, opined that naming the school after the Maharaja was a better option as the "students of such a school would be the custodians of the valuable history."

Poland had recently honoured the king posthumously by presenting the "Commanders Cross of the Order of the Merit of the Polish Republic," (Order Zasługi Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej). This is given to civilians and foreigners for contributing to good foreign relations between Poland and other countries. There is also a proposal pending with the city authorities to name a square in Warsaw after the king and setting up a special plaque describing the history of his connection to Poland.

Krystyna Starczewska says that the legacy of kindness experienced in India continues. The school provides free education to the children of refugees in Poland from Armenia, Afghanistan, Belarus, Chechnya, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Tibet and African countries.

A strong advocate of Indian independence (unlike most Indian rulers), Sir Digvijaysinhji was among the first rulers to sign the Instrument of Accession to the Dominion of India on 15 August 1947. He merged Nawanagar into the United State of Kathiawar the following year, serving as its Rajpramukh until the Government of India abolished the post in 1956.

Representative at International Organisations

Divijaysinhji represented India as a delegate at the first session of the League of Nations in 1920.^[10] He was also the Deputy Leader of the Indian delegation to the UN, and chaired both the UN Administration Tribunal and the UN Negotiating Committee on Korean Rehabilitation following the Korean War.

Personal

On 7 March 1935 at Sirohi, Sir Digvijaysinhji married Maharajkumari Baiji Raj Shri Kanchan Kunverba Sahiba (1910–1994), second daughter of Maharajadhiraj Maharao Sri Sir Sarup Ram Singhji Bahadur, the Maharao of Sirohi. She took the name of Her Highness Deoriji Maharani Shri Gulab Kunverba Sahiba, and the couple had one son and three daughters.

Death

After a reign of 33 years, Sir Digvijaysinhji died in Bombay on 3 February 1966, aged 70. He was succeeded by his only son, Y.S. Shatrusalyasinhji, who was a first class cricketer playing for Jamnagar team of Gujarat.

Titles

• 1895–1913: Rajkumar Sri Digvijaysinhji Jawansinhji Jadeja
• 1913–1919: Yuvaraja Sri Divijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja
• 1919–1921: 2nd Lieutenant Yuvaraja Sri Divijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja
• 1921–1929: Lieutenant Yuvaraja Sri Divijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja
• 1929–1933: Captain Yuvaraja Sri Divijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja
• 1933–1935: Captain His Highness Maharaja Jam Sri Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawanagar
• 1935–1936: Captain His Highness Maharaja Jam Sri Sir Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawanagar, KCSI
• 15 February-23 September 1936: Major His Highness Maharaja Jam Sri Sir Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawanagar, KCSI
• 23 September 1936 – 1939: Lieutenant-Colonel His Highness Maharaja Jam Sri Sir Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawanagar, KCSI
• 1939–1942: Lieutenant-Colonel His Highness Maharaja Jam Sri Sir Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawanagar, GCIE, KCSI
• 1942–1947: Colonel His Highness Maharaja Jam Sri Sir Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawanagar, GCIE, KCSI
• 1947–1966: Lieutenant-General His Highness Maharaja Jam Sri Sir Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawanagar, GCSI, GCIE

^[11]

Honours

• India General Service Medal w/ Wazirstan Clasp-1924
• King George V Silver Jubilee Medal-1935
• King George VI Coronation Medal-1937
• Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (GCIE)-1939
• 1939-1945 Star-1945
• Africa Star-1945
• Pacific Star-1945
• War Medal 1939-1945-1945
• Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India (GCSI)-1947 (KCSI-1935)
• India Service Medal-1945
• Indian Independence Medal-1947
• Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (posthumous) – 2011^[12]

See also

India–Poland relations

Notes

External links

• CricketArchive: Digvijaysinhji