| Sir Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji | |||||||||||||||
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 Digvijaysinhji in 1935 | |||||||||||||||
| Maharaja Jam Sahib ofNawanagar State | |||||||||||||||
| Reign | 2 April 1933–15 August 1947 | ||||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Ranjitsinhji | ||||||||||||||
| Successor | Monarchy Abolished | ||||||||||||||
| Jam Saheb of Nawanagar (present dayJamnagar) (Titular ruler) | |||||||||||||||
| Reign | 1948–3 February 1966 | ||||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Ranjitsinhji | ||||||||||||||
| Successor | Shatrusalyasinhji | ||||||||||||||
| Born | (1895-09-18)18 September 1895 Sadodar,Nawanagar State,British India (nowJamnagar District,Gujarat, India) | ||||||||||||||
| Died | 3 February 1966(1966-02-03) (aged 70) Bombay, India | ||||||||||||||
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| House | Nawanagar | ||||||||||||||
| Military career | |||||||||||||||
| Branch |  British Indian Army | ||||||||||||||
| Years of service | 1919–1947 | ||||||||||||||
| Cricket career | |||||||||||||||
| Cricket information | |||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | ||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm | ||||||||||||||
| Role | Batsman | ||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||
| 1933–1934 | Western India | ||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Source:ESPNcricinfo,8 June 2019 | |||||||||||||||
| 4thPresident of BCCI | |||||||||||||||
| In office 1937–1938 | |||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Sir Hamidullah Khan | ||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | P. Subbarayan | ||||||||||||||
Sir Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji JadejaGCSI GCIE (18 September 1895 – 3 February 1966), known widely in Poland as theGood Maharaja (Polish:Dobry Maharadża) was theMaharajaJam Sahib ofNawanagar (present dayJamnagar) from 1933 to 1966, succeeding his uncle, the famedcricketerRanjitsinhji.
In the midst ofWorld War II, Jadeja is personally credited for saving around a thousand Polish orphans between 1942 and 1946, following theInvasion of Poland. While serving as the Hindu delegate to the Britishwar cabinet he convinced members of theRed Cross andAnders' Army to transport the orphans toJamnagar, where he provided them with food, shelter, clothes, education, and medical care in the nearby coastal village ofBalachadi. Following theSurrender of Germany, the orphans were forced to return to Poland.[1][2]
In 2011, Jadeja was posthumously bestowed theCommander's Cross of the Order of Merit by thePresident of Poland, and is honoured at theGood Maharaja Square inWarsaw.
Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja was born on 18 September 1895 in the village of Sadodar (present-dayGujarat) during theBritish Raj. He was the nephew of the famed cricketer and Maharaja,Ranjitsinhji. He attendedRajkumar College inRajkot as well asMalvern College andUniversity College London.
Commissioned assecond lieutenant in theBritish Indian Army in 1919, Jadeja enjoyed a military career for over a decade.[3] Attached to the125th Napier's Rifles (now 5th Battalion (Napier's),Rajputana Rifles) in 1920, he served with theEgyptian Expeditionary Force, subsequently receiving a promotion toLieutenant in 1921.[4] He then served with theWaziristan Field Force from 1922 to 1924; after a promotion tocaptain in 1929, he retired from the army in 1931.[5] However, he would continue to receive honorary promotions in the Indian Army until 1947, ending with the rank oflieutenant-general.
Following the death of his uncle, Jadeja became Maharaja Jam Sahib in 1933, continuing his uncle's policies of development and public service.Knighted in 1935, Sir Jadeja joined theChamber of Princes, leading it as president from 1937 to 1943. Upholding the cricketing tradition of his uncle, he served as President of theBoard of Control for Cricket in India in 1937–1938 and was a member of several prominent sporting clubs. He had previously played a singlefirst-class match during the 1933–34 season, captainingWestern India against theMCC duringits tour of India and Ceylon.[6] He scored 0 and 6 in his two innings, in what was also the only first-class match played by his brother, Pratapsinhji.[7] During the Second World War, Sir Jadeja served on theImperial War Cabinet and the National Defence Council, along with thePacific War Council.
In 1942, he established the Polish Children's Camp inBalachadi forrefugee Polish children who were brought out of theUSSR duringWorld War II.
It existed until 1945, when it was closed and the children were transferred to Valivade, a quarter of the city ofKolhapur.[8][9][10] The camp site today is part of 300 acre campus of theSainik School Balachadi.[11]The Jamsaheb Digvijay Singh Jadeja School inWarsaw was established to honour this legacy.[12][13][14]
A documentary titled "Little Poland in India" was made in collaboration of both Indian and Polish governments to honour the efforts of Maharaja Jam Sahib[15] andKira Banasinska, who led the movement in India to rehabilitate Polish refugees.[16] Afterindependence of India, he signed theInstrument of Accession to theDominion of India on 15 August 1947. He merged Nawanagar into theUnited State of Kathiawar the following year, serving as itsRajpramukh, a Chief of State until theGovernment of India abolished the post in 1956.
Jadeja represented India as a delegate at the first session of theLeague of Nations in 1920.[17]
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 theKorean War.
Jadeja died inBombay on 3 February 1966, aged 70. He was survived by his only son,Shatrusalyasinhj, who was afirst-class cricketer forSaurashtra.
He the twice great-uncle of former Indian cricketer,Ajay Jadeja.[18][circular reference]
(ribbon bar, as it would look today)
The 2022Indo-Polishwar epic filmThe Good Maharaja (2022) depicted Jadeja.
| Preceded by | Jam Saheb ofNawanagar 1933–1948 | Succeeded by Merged withDominion of India |
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