Polish Ambassador relishes Gujarati thali, hails long-standing friendly ties with India

Adam Burakowski, Ambassador of Poland to India, indulged in a traditional Gujarati experience as he relished a plate full of Gujarati delicacies, while also sharing tales of India and Poland’s years of friendship with New Delhi. Sitting at Gujarat Bhavan Canteen in the national capital to grab a thali for lunch, the ambassador recalled that he landed upon the popular eatery early on in his five-year tenure in India.

“I relish the thali for its assortment of appetizers known as farshans, main course including vegetables, lentils, rice, flatbreads, yogurt and desserts. I come here often in my lunch break, because it is very accessible from the embassy, the service is quick and courteous and meal is wholesome and flavourful,” Burakowski said, adding that he often visits the canteen with his friends and family. 

He began his full-course meal with a spoonful of lentils or dal, while making it clear that he knows Hindi very well. “Mujhe Hindi acche se aati hai,” he said with a smile, before admitting that India “has always intrigued” him. “There are around 40,000 Indians residing in Poland today. I was a professor in political sciences, with a specialisation in India. I have even written a book on Indian history which spans from 1857 to today. The two nations share a long-standing friendly relationship, marked by high level political contacts, vibrant economic engagement and traditional cultural links,” he said.

Gujarat and Poland: A tale of friendship from the Second World War

When asked about Gujarat, Burakowski said that the ties between the Indian state and Poland go way back, specifically to the time of the Second World War. He revealed that when Adolf Hitler’s forces invaded his homeland in 1939, a king from Gujarat offered refuge to 1,000 children throughout the entirety of the war at Camp Balachadi in Jamnagar district.

The king was Nawanagar’s Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, who hosted the children and provided them the utmost shelter and care when others didn’t. To express gratitude to the emperor, Poland named a square in the capital city Warsaw after him in 2014, along with a park called 'Square of the Good Maharaja'. The king was also posthumously awarded the country’s highest honour, the President’s medal.

Burakowski, who is about to leave India and begin his new term in South Africa, remains hopeful of finding his favourite Indian delicacies in the new country. “I will miss the culture, cuisine and warmth of India, but South Africa has a lot of Indians too, so hopefully I will get Gujarati food there as well,” he said, as he finished his lunch in Gujarat Bhavan and bid adieu to the staff in true Gujarati style with ‘aavjo’, which exchanges goodbye for ‘see you soon’.