Adam Burakowski’s residence on Tilak Marg once belonged to B.R. Ambedkar, independent India’s first law minister.
New Delhi: Polish ambassador to India Adam Burakowski loves this country — biryani, the literature, music, movies and even the weather.
Sitting in a plush office in the Embassy of Poland on Shantipath, Chanakyapuri, he reads, speaks and understands Hindi to near perfection.
Where did he learn? “Just through life, really,” he says, speaking to ThePrint in a freewheeling interview.
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“And I’ve seen more than 400 Bollywood films; I watch a Hindi film nearly every day,” he adds.
Amitabh Bachchan is his favourite actor. He likes Bachchan’s movies from the 1970s, not his recent ones. “Amar Akbar Anthony is my favourite film, and funnily enough, my son’s name is also Anthony.”
Burakowski laughs, “No, not after the movie I’m afraid.”
The conversation continues in Hindi. “Mujhe bolne main abhi bhi thodi mushkil hoti hai, toh zyadatar log mujhse Hindi mein baat nahi kartke hai (I still have a little trouble speaking Hindi fluently, so most people choose not to converse with me in the language)”, he says.
“Par main sabh samajhta hoon (But I understand everything).”
And not just Hindi, the foreign diplomat has mastered Urdu as well. He harbours immense love for Urdu shayari and literature, so much so, that he has translated the works of Pakistani writer Saadat Hasan Manto into Polish.
“I just never found the time to publish it back in Poland, but this time when I go, I’ll think I’ll try again,” Burakowski says.
A landmark residence
Every morning, the Hindi daily Dainik Jagran is delivered to the doorstep of his house on Tilak Marg. This landmark residence once belonged to B.R. Ambedkar when he became Independent India’s first law minister, a historical fact Burakowski takes immense pride in.
“I like the art deco style; it’s very beautiful, and I really appreciate the fact that I live in the house of Dr Ambedkar,” Burakowski says. “This is a very good sign of the relationship between Poland and India.”
Burakowski’s diplomatic counterpart in Poland lives in India House in Warsaw.
Burakowski grew up in Poland, his first visit to India coming shortly after his high-school graduation in 1997.
“When I first arrived, I remember buying a tape of Lata Mangeshkar’s music. Since then, she’s been my favourite Indian singer,” he says.
Love for Hindi literature
He walks to his library and brings out Zameer ka Qaidi by Surendra Mohan Pathak. The bookmark is nearly at the centre of the spine. “I really enjoy reading Hindi crime novels,” the Polish ambassador says, turning the book over in his hand.
He highly recommends Raat ka Reporter by Nirmal Verma that tells the haunting tale of Delhi during the Emergency of 1975.
For Burakowski, India is more than just a diplomatic project, it is the home of Mangeshkar and Bachchan, masala chai and Manto. “The trees in Rajpath which were saplings when I first came, but I’ve seen them grow so tall,” he tells ThePrint.
Like his tea, he also likes his food with a kick. “I love spicy food, and veg biryani is my favourite,” he says.
A professor-turned-diplomat
The ambassador isn’t a career diplomat, but as is common practice in Poland, found his way to the embassy after being a professor in political science, with a specialisation in India.
“I even wrote a book on Indian history. It spans from 1857 to today,” Burakowski claims.
When asked to reconfirm if it includes 1857, he says, “Yes 1857, but I don’t like to call it a mutiny. Uprising, or revolt,” he emphasises.
“Words are extremely important,” he says.
Burakowski makes it a point to follow Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speeches, not just for their political content, but also for their style and impact.
“The last Modi speech I saw was on 15 August, Independence Day, when he spoke from the Red Fort. He is a very powerful orator,” the ambassador said.
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Burakowski visited Jamnagar, Gujarat, Friday to commemorate 100 years of Polish independence. The event paid tribute to the late Maharaja Jamsaheb Digvijay Singh Jadeja of the erstwhile Nawanagar princely state, who gave refuge to 1,000 Polish children when they fled the Soviet and Nazi-occupied Poland during World War II in 1942.
“The weather in Gujarat is fine; I don’t mind it at all. I actually kind of like it,” he says.