Analysis Of The Poland-india Relations Post Wwii

A Little Poland In India

The consequences of the Second World War left Poland only as a shadow of the country that it once used to be. The country was torn apart by disparaging forces. Civilian refugees, more than half of whom were children and youth, were located in a series of special transitional centers in various parts of the world. This gave them an opportunity to revive, physically and psychologically. When the problem of the Polish refugees was discussed in British War Cabinet in London, an Indian Maharaja Jam Saheb Digvijaysinhji, of Jamnagar (then Nawanagar), within the state of Gujarat, in India) was the first to offer to accept about 500 to 1000 Polish orphans within his estate, which was yet under British rule.

In 1938, the 42-year-old Maharaja Digvijaysinhji, known as ‘Jam Saheb’, ruler of Nawanagar estate in the Kathiawar Peninsula (now the state Gujarat) off the western coast of India, became the head of the Chamber of Princes. He was a competent Politian and administrator. Due to his meeting in the 1920’s with Ignacy Paderewski, a Polish pianist, politician, and spokesman for Polish independence, Jam Saheb had a great knowledge of Poles and Polish culture. His decision to accept Polish orphans under his care allowed multitudes of Polish refugees to find a new home in exotic India

It is worth mentioning that Indian princes were largely autonomous within their territories – collecting their own taxes and conducting their affairs independent of the central government treasury. The Maharaja could, therefore, adopt and take care of as many refugees as he wanted to, without asking anyone’s permission. He decided to build housing for approximately 1,000 Polish orphans at his summer residence in Balachadi, as well as share parts of the palace with his new charges. The Polish Government in exile used its own resources to cover the cost of maintaining the settlement.

The monarch established the Polish Children Fund for the exiles. As president of the Chamber of Princes, Digvijaysinhji convinced many other local Indian monarchs and noblemen to provide the funding necessary to establish settlements for the Polish children who were refugees in India. He managed to collect more than eighty donors. The residence of the Polish children was situated near Jamnagar in Balachadi village.

The children needed to be transported to their new Indian home in Balachadi. The children were scattered, emaciated, ailing and frequently alone, ending up in Soviet orphanages following either the imprisonment or the death of their parents, or having lost track of their parents after leaving the place of exile. They had to be located and gathered up in the Soviet Union. As a result of the efforts of the staff of the Polish Consulate in Mumbai, the Polish children gathered in these orphanages were then transported in several groups, in lorries, overland through Iran, around Afghanistan, to India and then at various times throughout 1942 to the newly-built settlement in Balachadi.

The settlement in Balachadi was the first permanent, major center built specifically for the Polish orphans who were evacuated from the Soviet Union. The settlement project was submitted in April 1942, and was implemented at a rapid pace: the first transport of children populated the residential buildings by mid-July 1942. The youngest refugees to arrive in Balachadi came in three automotive transports of the Bombay Red Cross, sent to retrieve them from the USSR. Other children arrived later, in smaller groups. The age limit of refugees residing in Balachadi ranged from 2 to 15 years. As the children grew and exceeded that age, they were transferred to another settlement in Valivade, near Kolhapur city, within the state of Maharashtra. Adults could stay there for as long as they served a specific function in the care and education of the children.

The settlement consisted of dozens of brick and stone buildings in the form of oblong barracks with ceramic tile roofs, and no floors or ceilings. A building could accommodate about 30 children. Buildings designed for adults were divided into small, single apartments. The settlement also included general utility buildings: a school, a hospital, a chapel, an office, a kitchen, dining rooms, lounges, shops, craft studios and facilities for the Indian service providers. In the fall of 1942, shortly after the arrival of the next transport of children, the settlement was equipped with all the facilities and structures that provided all customary functions: a school and a kindergarten, a hospital, a kitchen, and a laundry. Military chaplain Fr. Francis Pluta served as the commander of the settlement for the entire period of its existence. Over and above the official organizational structures that were assumed by the Poles, a dominant role was played by the settlement’s patron and founder, the Maharaja Digvijaysinhji.

Life in the settlement was very active in terms of culture, education, and sports. Scouting was also established there. The youth set up green areas between the buildings, giving the place the look and feel of a Polish town, where the Polish flag was hoisted on a mast every morning. Half of the staff that provided services to the children were local Indians. Despite the difficult climate and living conditions, Balachadi is remembered by almost all the pupils as an extremely friendly place. They also remember the kindness shown by the locals. Balachadi was officially closed at the end of November 1946. All the children still in residence were moved to the settlement in Valivade – the largest center for Poles in India.

The former residents of the settlement in Valivade returned for the first time in 1994. Then, in 1998, they unveiled a monument in Kolhapur commemorating the 5,000 Poles who lived there from 1942 to 1948. The monument features a column topped with the Polish eagle. The Maharajah Chhatrapati Shahu of Kolhapur described it as “a monument to the victory of good over evil and the friendship between Poles and Indians”. In recent years, the former residents of Balachadi and Valivade have visited the former settlements several times, either individually or in a group – the last time was in 2014. They have also brought their children and grandchildren to visit. Through their continued efforts, many more have heard of this beautiful story through exhibitions, lectures in schools, published articles and memoirs. They continue to hold India in their hearts and are its tireless ambassadors.

India & Poland’s Relationship Under the European Union

The European Union and India were both born out of a great vision. Europe sought peace and stability while India wanted independence. Today, both of them are at a crossroads: they need to set new strategic goals in order to find a place for themselves in the emerging network-based world order. Both would benefit from stronger mutual relations - Europe as India's primary ally in the Western world, and India as Europe's strategic partner in Asia.

It is important to analyze the physical parameters of India and Poland in order to understand their relations. In terms of size, India is almost ten times larger than Poland and the population is more than thirty times that of Poland. There is also an enormous gap in the GDP of both countries. This, of course, does not mean that cooperation between the two is not possible; the doubt is whether the partnership of a dwarf and a giant can be called strategic in nature and if this partnership will not smack of disdainful courtesy on the part of a giant?

After coming out from the shackles of Soviet domination, Poland joined the EU. The EU strengthened the limbs not only of Poland but also of all countries of Europe so much that stilts are not needed anymore. Moreover, the skills to operate in these new circumstances are more important. It should be obvious to anyone that partner status countries like the US, China, India, Brazil, and Japan changed radically after Poland's accession to the EU. This has been explicitly acknowledged by Radoslaw Sikorski, Poland's former Minister of Foreign Affairs, in an interview with reference to the US and China. In another interview, the Foreign Minister said, “The most important is to restore to Europe her competitiveness. In China, wherefrom I have just returned, I have become convinced again that we can do it only together — Europe as a whole.”

Poland markets itself as an attractive gateway to the European Union and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) markets. It is already India's largest trading partner in Central Europe and willing to adopt Free Trade Area Agreement along with the European Union regulations. Poland is an important country within the new Europe with whom India had excellent relations during the socialist period and continues to have very close ties. It seems that the importance of Poland is still not fully realized by Indian policymakers.

This is a major country representing 'new Europe' within the EU. The Polish economic transformation to a market economy in the early 1990s coincided with the Indian economic reforms. The Polish model of economic transformation is generally seen as a successful experiment. In the last decade, the country has been one of the highest growing economies in Europe and its economic linkages with India have grown significantly in the last few years. Despite economic problems with the Eurozone economies, Poland is very positive about its future within the broader European project. So, if there is any major breakthrough in the proposed India-EU broad-based trade and investment agreement, India-Poland economic ties will witness a significant positive impact.

Cultural Relations Between India and Poland

Culture is a way of life for a group of individuals. It consists of their behaviors, principles, values, morals, and symbols that they accept and that are passed along from one generation to the next.

According to American anthropologists, Kroeber and Kluckhohn, “Culture consists of- patterns, explicit and implicit, of and for behavior acquired and transmitted by symbols, constituting the distinctive achievement of human groups, including their embodiments in artifacts; the essential core of culture consists of traditional (i.e historically derived and selected) ideas and especially their attached values; culture systems may, on the one hand, be considered as products of action, on the other as conditioning elements of further action”

Both Poland and India have a strong history that has shaped the modern-day culture in these countries. Their history has helped them grow and adapt to the changes while maintaining their cultural identity.

Cultural Differences Between India and Poland

India is a land of numerous religions whereas Poland is primarily a land of one faith. Despite this, religious beliefs are the most significant aspect of both Indian and Polish society. India has 22 official languages and several religions are practiced in India. In India, every province has its own language or at least a regional dialect. However, since Poland is a country where the majority of the people speak the same language and follow the same religion, the abundance of languages and religions in India is something well beyond the imagination of Poles.

The simple religious and linguistic structure in Poland makes the social system in Poland very comprehensible whereas in India the social system needs to adapt to many languages, religions and regional cultural differences which in turn make it multifaceted and complex. Today most Indians speak at least two languages – their regional language and English. English has today become a prominent language in India and acts as a bridge to cover the linguistic differences in India. At the same time in Poland, Polish is the main language and without understanding at least basic Polish it is not easy to communicate especially in smaller towns.

India has a service-based culture in every walk of life. Every person can find assistance in any store, big or small. Help can be hired at very low costs for everyday chores like cleaning the house, cooking or just for running errands. There is virtually nothing that could not be done by hired help at a relatively low cost. This is a result of the deep-rooted caste system in India as well as a growing population that needs more jobs. Since in Poland labor costs are high, people are more independent. Companies in Poland – from Biedronka to Costorama – are constantly developing self-service strategies and as a result, their customers become more self-sufficient.

People in Poland and India have completely different viewpoints with respect to law and order. It is very rare to find someone in Poland that would rebuke the road rules. However, if you are driving in India, you can notice that almost all Indians violate the road code, including red lights and obligation to wear helmets. Poland depends on the law when settling any disputes – one has to sign agreements for almost everything in Poland. However, the same is not true for India. In India, one can also have an employment period without any official contract being signed.

Cultural Similarities between India and Poland

Culturally speaking, Indian and Poland can be considered polar opposites of each other. However, after spending adequate time in Poland, I have found a mutual link between Polish and Indian cultures – the importance of family relations. Indians are immensely concerned with family. In the Indian culture, family values and principles are given more importance. For the sake of family, Indians might even desert their individual wishes and happiness. All the decisions made are focused around the family. I think that Poles share the same feelings for their family to some extent. Even if family values might not be the first priority for a Pole, they do share a very strong bond with their family. This is truly reflected during the festive season in Poland.

Cinematography as a tool for Bilateral relations between India and Poland

Bilateral cultural exchanges and initiatives are on the rise. One of them is the frequent 'Focus on Poland' during the successive International Film Festivals in Goa where the traditional Polish Film School is well remembered and very much appreciated. Andrzej Wajda, Krzysztof Kieglowski, Krzysztof Zanussi or Roman Polanski will always be highly respected but nowadays we observe a growing interest in the works of Ryszard Bugajski, Jan Jakub Kolski or Leszek Dawid.

In 2010, the Bugajski's 'General Nil' was acclaimed as one of the best films screened in Goa, and in 2012 Krzysztof Zanussi was honored with the Life Time Achievement Award. Poland is being discovered as the promised land by the Indian film-makers. In 2004 Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham (Czasami slorice, czasami deszcz) was screened in the biggest cinema halls in Poland. Mira Nair's 'Monsoon Wedding', although not a Bollywood movie itself, had generated earlier a discussion on the Indian film industry in the Polish media; but it was Karan Johar's mega¬bit showed to a local audience the emotional, artistic and commercial potential of the Indian soft-power.

The film, with Polish subtitles, was available soon on a DVD version and almost immediately found its way to the top 10 best-selling films in the Empik chain of shops located in all the big cities and major towns. In 2006, the top Polish winter spa, Zakopane, became a location for the film Fanaa in which the Polish Tatras played the dramatic role of the Indian Himalayas. Both superstars, Aamir Khan and Kajol appeared on Polish TV and probably were slightly amazed after realizing how popular and easily recognizable they were, and that in a country which they had come to for the first time and knew very little about. Cracow and the Malopolska Province are becoming the hot locations for Indian film-producers. In 2011 a great number of scenes of the political thriller 'Azaan' were shot in Cracow and at present, the Alwernia Studio is cooperating with its Indian partners to make a series of TV commercials, which popularize Poland in the most unusual way.

Apart from literature, common elements of history, academic cooperation, film industry, painting, there are plenty of areas where artists, educators, and scholars from both countries are capable of interacting spontaneously and creatively. Drama and theatre, fashion design and classical music, children's education and performance art — there appears to be no limit in recreating the Indo-Polish bonds that are likely to develop in the most unexpected directions.

Business Relations between India and Poland

The cultural pillar of India-Poland bilateral cooperation is made of the sturdy stuff but the economic one is getting no less solid with every year. The total amount of Indo-Polish trade in 2000 was US $394 million, reached US $1.05 billion in 2009 and in 2012 rose to almost US $2 billion. One of the major outcomes of the meeting between Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2010 was that both India and Poland have decided to double the bilateral trade by 2014. The mission was accomplished in 2013 and the optimism expressed by the Polish business community was very well-founded. In 2012, in contrast to the global depressing trends, Poland's export to India grew by 27 percent. Poland is exploring, investing and cooperating with India in a number of sectors like high wall mining, the supply of mining machinery, power industry, heavy engineering, renewable energy and waste management, defense industry, and food processing.

India could look for new opportunities in areas such as textiles, agriculture, food processing, information technology, infrastructure, and tourism. People-to-people contacts have always been very good as there is strong human chemistry between the representatives of both the communities, who may come from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds but are able to get along with each other. A few cases exemplify a complex story of successful Indo-Polish business links. The Bella Company, Polish leader on the Middle-Eastern European Market in hygienic and hospital products, has been operating in India for more than five years. They had their production plant completed in Tamil Nadu and their headquarters located in Bangalore.

Young and ambitious Polish-Indian teams have been extremely active in marketing and sales in the South but the time for further domestic and international expansion should take place soon. The growing local demand makes it necessary to consider the option of building another plant in the North. The estimated cost of investment is likely to exceed US $100 million. Another business success story comes with the Can-Pack Group (CPG) that has its office in Cracow.