Karan Singh
Karan Singh | |||||
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MP Rajya Sabha, President ICCR, Chairman AICC Foreign Affairs Department, Titular Maharaja Of Jammu and Kashmir | |||||
![]() 'Dr. Karan Singh' | |||||
Reign | 1961 – present | ||||
Predecessor | Hari Singh | ||||
Spouse | Maharani Yasho Rajya Lakshmi | ||||
Issue | Jyotsana Singh
Vikramaditya Singh Ajatshatru Singh | ||||
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House | The Royal House of Jammu and Kashmir | ||||
Father | Hari Singh | ||||
Mother | Maharani Tara Devi | ||||
Religion | Hinduism |
Dr. Karan Singh (1931-) is an Indian politician - an MP in the Rajya Sabha, a senior member of the ruling Indian National Congress Party serving as Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Department, President of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), India's Ambassador to UNESCO, Chairman of the Auroville Foundation and of the Temple of Understanding, author, diplomat, champion of interfaith dialogue, Hindu scholar and present titular Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir. He was born as the Yuvraj (Crown Prince), i.e., heir-apparent to the then ruler of the state of Jammu and Kashmir Maharaja Hari Singh, in the royal family of Jammu and Kashmir. He received the Padma Vibhushan in 2005.
Biography
Early life and education
Dr. Karan Singh was born on March 9, 1931, in Cannes, France, to the last ruler of the princely state of Kashmir and Jammu (also known as The Royal House of Jammu and Kashmir), Maharaja Hari Singh and his wife Maharani Tara Devi.
He was educated at Doon School, Dehra Dun, and received a B.A. from Sri Pratap Singh (S. P.) College, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir University, and an M.A. in Political Science from Delhi University. He went on to receive a Ph.D. from Delhi University.[1]
Political career
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/73/Sadar-i-Riyasat_Karan_Singh_administers_the_oath_of_office_to_Bakshi_Ghulam_Mohammed_after_the_1957_elections_in_Jammu_and_Kashmir.jpg/200px-Sadar-i-Riyasat_Karan_Singh_administers_the_oath_of_office_to_Bakshi_Ghulam_Mohammed_after_the_1957_elections_in_Jammu_and_Kashmir.jpg)
In 1949, at age of eighteen, he was appointed as the regent of Jammu and Kashmir state after his father stepped down as the king, following the state's accession to India.[2] He served successively as regent, Sadr-i-Riyasat and governor of the state of Jammu and Kashmir from 1965-1967. He was then, successively, Union Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation from 1967–1973, Minister of Health and Family Planning from 1973–1977 and Minister of Education and Culture in 1979-1980. In 1990-1991, he served as Indian Ambassador to the US.
From 1967-1980, and in 1990, Karan Singh served as an MP in the Lok Sabha; since 1996, he has been an MP in the Rajya Sabha. He served as Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University, Jammu and Kashmir University, and Jawaharlal Nehru University. He is an active member of several boards, organizations, and foundations, including the Author's Guild of India, the ICCR, the Auroville Foundation, the Indian Board of Wildlife, and several others.
Presently, Karan Singh is Chairman of the AICC Foreign Department.
Personal life
In 1956, he married Princess Yasho Rajya Lakshmi (1937–2009), the granddaughter of Maharaja Sir Mohan Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, the last Rana Prime Minister of Nepal from the Rana dynasty of Nepal.[3] They have three children — a daughter, Jyotsna, and two sons Vikramaditya and Ajatshatru, and six grandchildren — Vivaswat, Viveka, Mriganka, Martand, Adishree and Ranvijay.
Styles
- 1931-1949: Yuvraj Sri Karan Singh Bahadur, Yuvaraja of Jammu and Kashmir
- 1949-1952: Yuvraj Sri Karan Singh Bahadur, Regent of Jammu and Kashmir
- 1952-1965: Yuvraj Sri Karan Singh Bahadur, Sadr-i-Riyasat of Jammu and Kashmir
- 1952-1956: Yuvraj Sri Karan Singh Bahadur, Rajpramukh of Jammu and Kashmir
- 1961–present: Major-General His Highness Shriman Rajrajeshwar Maharajadhiraj Sri Dr. Karan Singh Indar Mahindar Bahadur, Sipar-i-Sultanat, Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir (formally preferred to be known as Sri Dr. Karan Singh upon accession)
- 1965-1967: His Excellency Sri Dr. Karan Singh, Governor of Jammu and Kashmir
- 1967-1980; 1990: The Right Honourable Sri Dr. Karan Singh, MP (Lok Sabha)
- 1980-1989; 1991-1996: Sri Dr. Karan Singh
- 1989-1990: His Excellency Sri Dr. Karan Singh, Ambassador to the United States of America
- 1996–present: The Right Honourable Sri Dr. Karan Singh, MP (Rajya Sabha)
Honours
Bibliography
- "Towards A New India"(1974)
- Population, Poverty and the Future of India (1975)
- "One Man's World" (1986)
- Essays on Hinduism. Ratna Sagar. 1987. ISBN 8170701732.
- Humanity at the Crossroads . with Daisaku Ikeda. Oxford University Press, 1988.
- "Autobiography" (2 vols.)(1989)
- "Brief Sojourn" (1991)
- Hymn to Shiva and Other Poems (1991)
- The Transition to a Global Society (1991)
- Mountain of Shiva (1994)
- Autobiography. Oxford University Press, 1994. ISBN 0195636368.
- Prophet of Indian Nationalism
- Hinduism. Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd, 2005. ISBN 1845574257
- Mundaka Upanishad: The Bridge to Immortality.
- Ten Gurus of the Sikhs Their Life Story, Tr. into English Pramila Naniwadekar & Moreshwar Naniwadekar.
- Nehru's Kashmir. Wisdom Tree. ISBN 9788183281607.
- A Treasury of Indian Wisdom. Penguin Ananda, 2010. ISBN 9780670084500.
Further reading
- Karan Singh - a tryst with history., Niyogi Books, ISBN 81-901936-9-4. [1]
- Jammu and Kashmir: 1949-1964: Selected Correspondence between Jawaharlal Nehru and Karan Singh. Edited by Jamaid Alam. Penguin 2006. [2]
See also
- Instrument of Accession (Jammu and Kashmir) to the Country / Dominion of India
- List of topics on the land and the people of Jammu and Kashmir
References
- ^ Dr. Karan Singh Profile Doon School.
- ^ Dr. Karan Singh Raj Bhawan, Jammu and Kashmir official website.
- ^ India's 'Rajput diplomacy' in NepalThe Times of India,April 18, 2006. "Karan Singh is heir to the throne of India's former princely state of Kashmir and his wife is from Nepal's royal family"
- ^ The Royal Ark
- ^ The Royal Ark
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Dr Karan Singh’s official website
- Article on Shri Dr. Karan Singh, by Indian Princely States website
- Genealogy of the ruling chiefs of Jammu and Kashmir
- Proclamation of May 1, 1951 on Jammu & Kashmir Constituent Assembly by Yuvraj (Crown Prince) Karan Singh from the Official website of Government of Jammu and Kashmir, India
- Conflict in Kashmir: Selected Internet Resources by the Library, University of California, Berkeley, USA; University of California at Berkeley Library Bibliographies and Web-Bibliographies list
- 1931 births
- Indian monarchs
- Indian politicians
- Indian diplomats
- Indian scholars
- Indian writers
- Living people
- Dosco
- University of Delhi alumni
- History of Jammu and Kashmir
- Governors of Jammu and Kashmir
- Jawaharlal Nehru University faculty
- Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan
- Rajya Sabha members
- Ambassadors of India to the United States
- Maharajas of Jammu and Kashmir
- Indian Hindus
- Kashmiri people
- Indian autobiographers
- Modern Hindu writers
- Indian National Congress politicians