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Sudipta Dev – Mumbai
Poland has seen an increase in visitor arrivals from India together with the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Austria. “We are making efforts to promote Poland as an independent destination in India,” said Prof Piotr Klodkowski, ambassador of Poland to India. He pointed out that people in Poland have a deep interest in Indian culture. India is a popular destination among Polish tourists. “As many as 40,000 Polish tourists visit India every year and the numbers are rising. There has been a growth of around 30 per cent,” informed Klodkowski.
The most popular cities visited by Indian tourists in Poland are Krakow, Warsaw and Gdansk. Klodkowski reminded that a few Bollywood films have been shot in Poland. ‘Fanaa’ being the most famous which saw Polish mountains representing Kashmir. Recently a film ‘Azaan’ was also shot in the ancient city of Krakow. “Poland has excellent mountainous areas if you love climbing or trekking. In Krakow you can spend time in heritage hotels. Warsaw was destroyed almost totally during World War II and has been rebuilt. Those who have interest in the process of renovation would be interested in this aspect,” he stated.
There are many cultural links between India and Poland. Klodkowski informed that in Umaid Bhawan, Jodhpur, the paintings and murals were created by Polish painter Stefan Norblin. “He had his first exhibition in Mumbai. We are grateful to India for showing hospitality to Polish refugees. Jam Saheb Digvijaysinhji, the Maharaja of Jamnagar had then opened his heart and purse for several thousand Polish children. There was a Polish camp, a school, kindergarten and college in Gujarat. We have a high school in Warsaw in his memory and a square ‘ The Square of the Good Maharaja’ named after him,” informed Klodkowski. Recently a film ‘A Little Poland in India’ has been made on these children. Another film ‘Chitranjali’ has been made on the life of Norblin.
The Indian community in Poland is very small, just about 2000 people, mostly comprising the business community. “Lakshmi Mittal has invested US$ two billion in Poland, he is the owner of Polish Steelworks. He has a very strong presence in our country,” said Klodkowski.
