The Maharaja of Nawanagar with Polish orphans, Jamnagar: photo - CSPA. Via Polskie Radio

Here’s a fascinating bit of Polish history I’d never known about before. During World War II, a Maharaja took in nearly 500 Polish orphans, giving them a safe haven and building a camp with schools, dormitories and medical facilities on the Kathiawar Peninsula in India. Now, Warsaw is honoring Jamsaheb Digvijay Singh, the former ruler of the princely state of Nawanagar, for his kindness and generosity. A plaza will be named in his memory, called simply “The Square of the Good Maharaja.” (Apparently, the Poles have a little trouble with the pronunciation of the prince’s name. Which is saying something, because the Polish are pretty good at navigating strings of letters that don’t seem like they should go together.)

This is begging for a screenplay, and I so badly want to write it. You know, after the 10 other projects I have floating around in my brain. Anyway, read more about the Maharaja here in the Cosmopolitan Review.

* A tip of the hat to Barbara Proko for sharing this on Facebook.