Yadavindra Singh

Maharaja Sir

Yadavindra Singh

GCIE, GBE
Maharaja of Patiala
Maharaja Sir; Yadavindra Singh; GCIE, GBE
	Singh in 1971
Maharaja of Patiala
Reign	23 March 1938 – 15 August 1947
Predecessor	Maharaja Bhupinder Singh
Successor	Amarinder Singh
Minister of State	show See list
Born	7 January 1914; Patiala, Punjab, British India
Died	17 June 1974 (aged 60); The Hague, Netherlands
Maharanis	Hem Prabha Devi (m. 1935⁠–⁠1974) ; Mehtab Kaur of Patiala (m. 1938⁠–⁠1974)
Issue	Heminder Kaur (daughter); Rupinder Kaur (daughter); Amarinder Singh (son); Malvinder Singh (son);
Dynasty	Phulkian
Father	Maharaja Bhupinder Singh
Mother	Bakhtawar Kaur
Religion	Sikhism
Indian Ambassador to Italy
	In office; 1965-1966
Indian Ambassador to the Netherlands
	In office; 1971-1974
Preceded by	Jagan Nath Dharmija
Succeeded by	K. S. Bajpai
Cricket information
Batting	Right-hand bat
Bowling	-
International information
National side	India (1934-1934);
Only Test	10 February 1934 v England
Career statistics
	Source: ESPNcricinfo, 31 May 2020

Maharaja Sir Yadavinder Singh (pronunciation (help·info); 7 January 1914 – 17 June 1974) was the 9th and last ruling Maharaja of Patiala from 1938 to 1971. He was also an Indian cricketer who played in one Test in 1934.^[1]^[2]

Early life and family[]

Sir Yadavindra Singh of Patiala

Born at Patiala, Punjab in 1914, Maharaja Yadavindra attended Aitchison College, Lahore. He served in the Patiala State Police, became its Inspector General and served in Malaya, Italy and Burma during the Second World War. In 1935, he married his first wife, of Saraikela State (1913–2014).

He succeeded his father, Maharaja Bhupinder Singh, as the Maharaja of Patiala on 23 March 1938 and subsequently married his second wife, Mehtab Kaur (1922–2017), in 1938. It was believed that his second marriage was due to the stated reason that his first wife being issueless, which was in fact, was due to the influences of Akali leaders who wanted the future Maharaja of Patiala to marry to a Jat Sikh family in order to beget genuine Sikh heirs.^[3]

Political career[]

Yadavindra served as president of the Indian Olympic Association from 1938 to 1960. He was instrumental in organizing the Asian Games. He founded Yadavindra Public School. Lal Bagh Palace, the building in which Yadavindra Public School is housed was donated by Sir Yadavindra Singh. He was a noted horticulturist by passion and later served as chairman of Indian Horticulture Development Council. He was also the president of BCCI.

Following his accession to the throne of Patiala, Yadavindra pursued a political and diplomatic career, serving as chancellor of the Chamber of Princes from 1943 to 1944. In 1947, when India gained independence, he was the pro-chancellor of the Chamber of Princes. At a special session he said "After centuries time has come when India has gained independence from foreign rule and it's the time when we all (princely states) should unite for our motherland" and persuaded many other rulers to join India.

Partition (1947)[]

During the Partition of India numerous pogroms occurred in and around the princely state of Patiala.^[4] In several cases, organized bands of Sikhs were responsible for atrocities. The late Harkishan Singh Surjeet, of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), witnessed the events and claimed in an interview: ‘The communal attacks on the minorities were definitely planned. I know more about the persons involved in the eastern wing because I was there. I saw those dreadful acts with my own eyes. In that conspiracy, the Maharaja of Patiala was involved. The idea was that if the Muslims were driven out.'” The attacks on Sikhs and Hindus in March 1947 in Rawalpindi are regarded as one of the major crimes that triggered off others. Nehru believed the Maharaja had sought to ethnically cleanse the territory of Muslims as part of this effort. Maharajas of Patiala and Faridkot, and Yadavindra Singh is quoted as having said "We won't leave a Muslim here" at a party with British officers.^[5] The Foreign Minister of Patiala, Sardar Bari Ram Sharma issued a denial stating "I definitely assert that no Patiala soldier has associated himself with or has been involved in any killings in any part of the East Punjab."^[6]

He agreed to the incorporation of the princely state into India on 5 May 1948. He was Rajpramukh of the new Indian state of Patiala and East Punjab States Union until it was merged with Punjab in 1956.

Donation[]

In 1956 Yadvinder Singh donated the Anand Bhawan, a 150 bigha palace, to the Government of Punjab (before the creation of Himachal) for a holiday home for poor children, which was later leased out to Baba Ramdev for his Patanjali Trust.

Later life and death[]

Sir Yadavindra Singh with leading members of the Sikh and Indian business community in London.

He continued his career from 1956 onwards, serving as Indian delegate to the United Nations General Assembly from 1956 to 1957 and to UNESCO in 1958. He also headed the Indian delegation to the FAO on and off during 1959-1969. Sir Yadavindra served as Indian Ambassador to Italy (1965–1966) and as Indian Ambassador to the Netherlands from 1971 until 17 June 1974, when he died suddenly in office at The Hague from heart failure, age 60. On specific instructions of Indira Gandhi, he was cremated with full state honours. He was succeeded as family head by his son Captain Amarinder Singh, who is a politician with the Congress Party and who served as Chief Minister of the Indian State of Punjab from 2002 to 2007 and again starting in 2017. His daughter, Heminder Kaur, was married to K. Natwar Singh, the former external affairs minister of India.

Titles[]

1913-1935: Sri Yuvaraja Yadavindra Singh Sahib-ji
1935-1938: Lieutenant Sri Yuvaraja Yadavindra Singh Sahib-ji
1938-1939: Lieutenant His Highness Farzand-i-Khas-i-Daulat-i-Inglishia, Mansur-i-Zaman, Amir ul-Umara, Maharajadhiraja Raj Rajeshwar, 108 Sri Maharaja-i-Rajgan, Maharaja Yadavindra Singh, Mahendra Bahadur, Yadu Vansha Vatans Bhatti Kul Bushan, Maharaja of Patiala
1939-1942: Captain His Highness Farzand-i-Khas-i-Daulat-i-Inglishia, Mansur-i-Zaman, Amir ul-Umara, Maharajadhiraja Raj Rajeshwar, 108 Sri Maharaja-i-Rajgan, Maharaja Yadavindra Singh, Mahendra Bahadur, Yadu Vansha Vatans Bhatti Kul Bushan, Maharaja of Patiala
1942-1944: Major His Highness Farzand-i-Khas-i-Daulat-i-Inglishia, Mansur-i-Zaman, Amir ul-Umara, Maharajadhiraja Raj Rajeshwar, 108 Sri Maharaja-i-Rajgan, Maharaja Sir Yadavindra Singh, Mahendra Bahadur, Yadu Vansha Vatans Bhatti Kul Bushan, Maharaja of Patiala, GBE
1944-1945: Lieutenant-Colonel His Highness Farzand-i-Khas-i-Daulat-i-Inglishia, Mansur-i-Zaman, Amir ul-Umara, Maharajadhiraja Raj Rajeshwar, 108 Sri Maharaja-i-Rajgan, Maharaja Sir Yadavindra Singh, Mahendra Bahadur, Yadu Vansha Vatans Bhatti Kul Bushan, Maharaja of Patiala, GBE
1945-1946: Major-General His Highness Farzand-i-Khas-i-Daulat-i-Inglishia, Mansur-i-Zaman, Amir ul-Umara, Maharajadhiraja Raj Rajeshwar, 108 Sri Maharaja-i-Rajgan, Maharaja Sir Yadavindra Singh, Mahendra Bahadur, Yadu Vansha Vatans Bhatti Kul Bushan, Maharaja of Patiala, GBE
1946-1971: Lieutenant-General His Highness Farzand-i-Khas-i-Daulat-i-Inglishia, Mansur-i-Zaman, Amir ul-Umara, Maharajadhiraja Raj Rajeshwar, 108 Sri Maharaja-i-Rajgan, Maharaja Sir Yadavindra Singh, Mahendra Bahadur, Yadu Vansha Vatans Bhatti Kul Bushan, Maharaja of Patiala, GCIE, GBE
1971-1974: Lieutenant-General Sir Yadavindra Singh, GCIE, GBE^{[citation needed]}

Honours[]

(ribbon bar, as it would look today; UK decorations only)

^{[citation needed]}

King George V Silver Jubilee Medal-1935
King George VI Coronation Medal-1937
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE)-1942
1939-1945 Star-1945
Burma Star-1945
Africa Star-1945
Italy Star-1945
British War Medal-1945
India Service Medal-1945
Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (GCIE)-1946
Indian Independence Medal-1947
Grand Cross of the Romanian order
Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Italy-1966
Six other foreign honours

References[]

^ "The Greatest: One Test Wonders". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
^ "Yadavindra Singh". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
^ Singh, K.C. (3 August 2017). "Tales from two Punjabs". tribuneindia.com.
^ Mustafa Janjua, Haroon (7 January 2014). "Daily Times - Unheard cries: atrocities in Patiala, 1947".
^ Hajari, Nisid (15 June 2015). Midnight's Furies: The Deadly Legacy of India's Partition. ISBN 9781445648095.
^ Singh, Ganda (1960). "A Diary of the Partition Days - 1947". Journal of Indian History. XXXV (Part I, No. 112): 270.

External links[]

Yadavindra Singh on ESPNcricinfo

Regnal titles
Yadavindra Singh Phulkian Dynasty Born: 17 January 1914 Died: 17 June 1974
Preceded by Bhupinder Singh	Maharaja of Patiala 1938–1947 Amarinder Singh

[1] "The Greatest: One Test Wonders". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 19 April 2018.

[Bio-2] "Yadavindra Singh". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 31 May 2020.

[3] Singh, K.C. (3 August 2017). "Tales from two Punjabs". tribuneindia.com.

[4] Mustafa Janjua, Haroon (7 January 2014). "Daily Times - Unheard cries: atrocities in Patiala, 1947".

[5] Hajari, Nisid (15 June 2015). Midnight's Furies: The Deadly Legacy of India's Partition. ISBN 9781445648095.

[6] Singh, Ganda (1960). "A Diary of the Partition Days - 1947". Journal of Indian History. XXXV (Part I, No. 112): 270.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]